After flames, only ashes remain
by LunaLvgd99
Summary: Albus and Lily Potter are twins. They're in their 5th year at Hogwarts,along with Scorpius Malfoy and Rose Weasley. Lily,her character as fierce as fire, Scorpius,his aura as dark as ashes. Don't they say:"Where there is fire, only ashes remain",one can not survive while the other lives,are there really no exceptions to this? The magical world belongs to J.K.R All rights preserved.
1. After flames, only ashes remain

No one would have ever imagined that Lily Luna Potter would turn out this way, knowing that her parents were Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley. But then, how could anyone guess anything about someone's future just by knowing who his or her parents were? Those who judge others aren't they judging just because they do, without any appearing reasons? Don't they criticize with no shame never being satisfied with whatever the other one does? And Lily Potter did try to please, did try to provide what the others wanted, and, well, she never succeeded. They always found something to judge. They always found something to chatter about her during their break. And well, she realized that the best solution was to send their opinions to hell. She wasn't going to be the good girl they wanted her to be. She won't put on a smile for whoever crosses her path. Fuck them all. She wasn't stupid enough to fall for those girls' tricks that wanted to befriend her just after hearing her family name, she won't believe those boys that tried to flatter her only to gain some popularity among the others. Lily didn't choose who her parents were, and even if she loved them and were proud of everything they did, she didn't have to play the role model of the perfect girl.

The first three years of her scholarship in Hogwarts were amazing. Lily Luna had made a lot of friends, girls and boys, among her own house, Gryffindor , among all the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students, and even with some of the Slytherin, the war was long time past them. She was never alone. Everyone knew her. The teachers adored her. She was one of the three chasers of the Griffyndor quidditch team since her second year and she excelled at it. She was brilliant at flying and smart enough at studying without working too hard. Well, she was floating over her white cloud.

Then, at the beginning of her fourth year, she realized every single damn thing the others were saying behind her back. According to them, she was only getting good marks because of her parents' identity. "The spoiled child" got into the quidditch team only by using her beautiful red hair and marine-blued eyes. She had it all granted from her dad and mum. So, this is how they all think about her? Well, screw them all. She doesn't need their opinions, they don't matter a damn instant to her. Nevertheless, she was smart enough, she knows how to act, no surprise that the sorting hat thought a lot about sending her to Slytherin, she has more than one trick in her pocket...

That is how L. Luna emotionally pulled herself from the other Hogwarts students, except her cousins, without them knowing, she didn't consider them as close friends. To her, they were only acquaintances. She talked to them when she wanted to and knew how to keep a low profile; she knew how to wear her mask. So you cannot call her an alone student, because physically she was far from alone. But she didn't trust them so there were no opportunity for her to feel tricked again. This time she was the fox and they unwillingly were the victims. On the other hand, the others took her "friendship" for granted. Perfect. That is all she wanted.

And since the beginning of her taking her distance from them, a rebellious temper was, hum let us not say born because it has always existed, but let's say it had developed, as a fire's flames growing stronger with every wood added. Like her uncles George and Ron, she started enjoying doing pranks in the school halls, however, beware, if she chose a certain person to apply her trick on, she did it in a way he or she never knew who was the culprit. Again, it was. Perfect.

Now, Lily was packing for her fifth year at Hogwarts. Her family was in a total stir, preparing for the new school year. Her two-years older brother, James Sirius Potter, was screaming all over the house that he was still too young to be in his seventh year, and that he didn't want to go to any place where he would hear of anything called "N.E.W.T.". Her two years younger brother, Albus Sirius Potter, was crying because he couldn't find his wand. Ginny was yelling at him and at her husband for passing his messy habits to his son. Harry was answering that he has nothing to do with her son being a mess. Lily started laughing tenderly, thinking that her family was a total fiasco right now. And she loved them, true, but in hell no way was she was going to help anyone right now. She was just too tired for that. Lily had a lot of sleep to catch up, and it's been almost half an hour since she's been yawning non-stop.

They finally made it to the PLATFORM 9¾ AT KING'S CROSS station. Moreover, without anyone of them saying it out-loud, each one of the Potter family prepared their perfect poker faces, ready to confront all the staring and whispering they will inevitably get during the next 15 minutes.


	2. Scorpius Malfoy

Scorpius Malfoy looked at himself in the mirror. He lost the counting of time. He just knew that he had to end packing quickly if he wanted to catch the Hogwarts train for his fifth year. But did he really want to go? So there he stood, doing nothing but looking at the mirror. He knew he was handsome. He was a Malfoy after all. With his dark grey eyes, platinum wavy long hair, and tall well-built silhouette, his mother liked to proudly call him her own "doughty knight of the medieval era". What a joke. Him. A knight, fighting for noble causes and defending the innocent. Laughing, he thought, "What else?" In fact, he was hell far away from knightly values. He didn't care about others, let them rot in front of him, he wouldn't move a finger to help them. Stop. You, yes you, the one reading this. Don't start analyzing yet. Because there is more to come: You would give 10 billion Galleon and he still wouldn't move an inch. Magnificent, isn't he?

He heard a soft knocking on his bedroom's silver and green door, and he heard his mother calling him:

-"Scorpius, we should go.

\- Coming.." , he answered.

With a final glance at his black wizarding robes, he put his Nimbus 3000 and his black violin in his case, took his wand off the table and hid it in his pocket and without a final glance back, he left the room.

His parents had wished him to be the prefect of his Hogwarts's home, Slytherin. If only they knew. Did they really think that the wizarding world would just forget his origins this easily? Of course he wouldn't receive any badge. He wasn't welcome in that castle. All students knew it. At his first years, some older students even tried to bully him. If his father didn't know better, if he didn't bring the finest professors to teach him how to use his wand and how to defend himself at a very young age, he wouldn't have lasted two days without losing some members of his body. When they saw that he knew some spells even themselves couldn't achieve, they started to fear him. Just like that, his reputation became as thick and dark as ashes. When he moved into the packed corridors, his path would automatically draw itself. The others just moved away and let him pass. No one dared to come close to him, as if a dark poisonous aura floated around him. And he grew used to it. It was better that way. No problems, no daggers to be afraid of.

When he stepped on the PLATFORM 9¾ his parents close by, as usual, everyone just grew silent as a rock, staring and letting them through like robots.

-" Well, his mother tried to loosen the atmosphere, don't forget to write to us, eat well, dress cozily and try not to lose much stuff.

-If you encounter any problems with anyone, his father said, just tell us and we'll know what to do. You can always depend on the headmaster. Minerva can be strict but she is fair and loyal to the rules. Good luck, son.

-We love you Scorpius, Astoria said. Don't ever forget that. "

With a final little smile, Scorpius waved lightly at them, and stepped on the train, searching for an empty compartment, his suitcase in one hand. While advancing into the corridor, he heard the usual brouhaha. It was the exact same compartment that the Potter-Weasley squad occupied every year. He knew that there had to be a spell on the move for the whole stupid bunch or else they wouldn't fit there. As he passed through them, one of them stepped up and opened the door: "

Oh look who we have here. The little whiney Malfoy. Would you like to join us, Mister perfect Death eater's son?

Scorpius just shook his head, his head hurt so much, he didn't need a fucking idiot screaming next to him. So he just continued to walk. But the same idiot thought differently. He took his free hand and used it to turn him around, and threw him against the train's wall. In a matter of a milli-second, Potter and Malfoy took out their wands and pointed them at each other. Students from the other compartments got out, watching the whole scene, amused with James' behavior, but nonetheless anxious from Malfoy's answer.

-Do you have a death wish, Potter? Don't you dare touch me or else,…

-Or else what, Malfoy, you'll call your little daddy to help you, just as he used to do? Mommy, I'm so scare…

He didn't finish his world when a strong female voice shouted from behind him, strong, true, but also bored as hell:

-Stop. James. You don't have to be a bad player. It's not because I won that you have to put your rage on someone else, at least not like this. Come on, let's go back. We solemnly tell you, Mr. Malfoy, that we are truly and deeply sorry. This thickhead here is very, well, thickhead. Please continue your way, don't mind us. You sure have a lot to d..

-Pff, Lily, you can be a party pooper when you want to. If you weren't my sister, I would,…

-You would do what huh?

-All right, all right, let's finish the game or Roxanne will start to snore. I demand your pardon, Malfoy.. Hum? When did he leave?

Scorpius was nowhere to see. He had already left, silent like a snake. He just wasn't in the mood to fight. He found an empty sell in the far end of the train, locked the door, lowered the curtains, with a little spell transformed the sits into something more comfortable, with another little charm he silenced the room and cut off outside noise, sat down, opened a good novel and started to read. All this while the other's two very deeply loud voices could still be heard. Well, he never excelled at casting a _silencio._ And the Potter-Weasly cousins or siblings, whatever, where the only ones that dared to address him a world without being afraid of him. And truly, he didn't mind, even with all the insults sometimes. He knew that they never harmed him and never will. They were too "good sons and daughters". That way, at least, he knew he wasn't fully invisible. And as he started reading, his mind just flew off, the sound of the train moving and the wind outside appeasing his spirits and calming his body.


	3. When darkness seems to win

It has already been a while since night have fallen on the world. And it is only when darkness takes over every spot light once took, only then mankind remembers what it feels to have a lighthouse, standing solid and fierce as a rock, assuring protection and pumping back hope to each one's heart.

Alas, many ones take it for granted. Only people who life enjoys kicking them off every damn step they take, only those truly recognize the feeling of despair sinking into their bones while darkness is taking over their hearts and minds. Then, aren't they the ones that really sense the vitality of that spoke of light?

Enough of this boring philosophical speaking right now. Let's go back to our dear young wizards whose train has just arrived to what they love to call second home, Hogwarts. Well, mostly of them like to call it that way, let us not generalize what can not be generalized. Different voices' echoes started to float in the whole perimeter, laughter and joyful conversations pouring from each compartment into the deck and filling the whole atmosphere, with that bubbling energy that only youngster possess. At last of that line formed by all those happy enchanting faces marching towards the castle stood the one and only who made it all look like an awful oxymora, because it is certainly Scorpius Malfoy who we are talking about. There he walked, his face as cold as the coldest iceberg on earth, his features as motionless as a medieval painting, his movements as fluid as a black panther but as firm as a peaked rock. At least, that is what the other students felt, and that is what led them subconsciously to leave a respectful distance between them. However, underneath every tormented sea-surface laid the most peaceful world. That is the best metaphor to compare Scorpius at that instant. His mind was calm, his muscles were loose. He was spiritually far away from all the brouhaha that surrounded him, that when he stepped into the castle, he didn't believe he was already there. He didn't remember the two second-year students leaving a diligence right after he stepped in, or the pointed finger that a group of fourth-year wizards "aimed" at him when he passed closer by. But Malfoy wasn't the only one getting the attention…

Not very far ahead, the diligence where were sat the "fantastic trio" children was surrounded, everyone wanted to get in. James and Fred were making some meaningful jokes to loosen up the air a bit, Lily was pissed-off even if she hid it well under her usual mask. "What a bunch of hypocrites, she thought to herself. They are only waiting for us to leave to start saying what they really think…" It was when Rose flipped secretly her wand under her cape that the diligence started to move towards the castle.

-I'm sorry. I don't know what happened to the invisible Thestral. See you at the feast, Roxanne yelled to the disappointed crowd they left behind.

-Oh, cut it out already, Lily exclaimed. Do you really think they really care about who we are? They only want to get close to us to become popular among the others and the professors.

-You really should loosen up a bit, big sis, Albus said mockingly. They are doing no harm.

-Besides, Lil. Sis, James added, sometimes it's cool to know a new somebody, to freshen up the air, see? So stop getting so angry or no one would want to talk to us again, deal?

-I'm not getting angry. I'm just stating what you stubbornly obstinate to ignore. And how many times I tell you to call me Lily…

-We know, Rose sighed, okay Lily? We know. Hugo is suffering from it so much. He couldn't stop asking me what to do during the whole summer, and right now I'm scared for him just knowing that he preferred to sit with his new friends. But what do you want us to do, huh? They are our classmates, we frequent them every hour of every day each year. We can't just cut ourselves from everyone else. All we can do is stay true to ourselves, and keep a good work-relationship with them. We already have each other to trust and to count on. For me, that is fairly enough.

-That is the most boring speech I have ever heard, Fred snorted

-And two minutes ago, we could swear that no speech is more boring than Binns', James roared

\- Beware, dear poor professor Binns, Roxanne chuckled, your conqueror has arrived to cost you your second death!

And like a perfect harmonica, they all bustled laughing their hearts out, even Lily who finally started to ease.

Everyone took their seats in the Great Hall, waiting for the first years to make their entry, some excited, and others hungry or sleepy, as for the little ones in the corridor, they were scared from the test they'll have to take to be sorted into their houses. Conversations still lit up the hall when the "little snots", as James liked to call them, finally "honored them with their shitty presence", as James once again loved to say. He was "starving", would you mind. The sorting hat once again sang about harmony and unification, even if the Gryffindor murmured they would die rather than befriending any snake, and the same went for the Slytherin. Finally, after filling their stomachs to the uttermost, and too tired to linger, every one joined their dorms for a cozy sleep, the prefects, among them Rose, guiding the little ones through the tricking Daedalus Hogwarts' corridors seemed to represent.


	4. New challenge on board

Review answer:

Hello Guess, thank you for your first review of the fiction! It makes me so happy! Yeah, I thought that I had to change the summary, I was too lazy to do so, (xD) but now, it's done. Go check it if you want! And about Albus and Lily, yes in this story they are twins, but he just likes to tease her about it. It's only that she was too angry to complain about it that time, but it'll come, u have my word haha.

Lily woke up with the first daylight that sneaked into the dorm she shared with the other Gryffindor of the fifth year, among them her two cousins Rose and Roxanne. The two girls slept with peace along with their two other Gryffindor comrades, Jennyfer Fawcett and Alice Pelto. Luna just loved this time of the day when no one was awake except her. She could sneak out into the corridor with no fear of being caught, because, well, it wasn't night anymore. The professors were all still sleeping and the students were snoring too. The sunlight couldn't be seen forming arabesques through the windows yet. She put on her school uniform after her daily washing routine and left the common room, still yawning a bit. She was hungry so she decided to visit the kitchens to get something to eat. The elves were always too happy to see her, and even if her aunt Hermione would object about it, she liked the food they would give her. There she was, her hands full of food, stumbling across the grand corridors, doing nothing special but eating her heart out, when an idea hit her again. She thought about it during summer but left it at it. Now, it seemed like a great thing to do, well not do, she didn't know anything about the matter, yet.

Lily remembered when she was sitting in their living room, when her dad started talking about the marauders and their great achievements. Harry complained about losing the marauders map, and Lily kept quiet about it but shared meaningful looks with James that later on turned into some pocket money in exchange of her silence. Then, he told them about how brilliant they were, and without them turning secretly into animagi, Sirius wouldn't have survived in Azkaban. Lily, hearing the story, thought it would be awesome to know what her animagus form would be, and that is how Lily was thinking about a way to turn into an undeclared animagus.

"It would be great", she said to herself. "In addition, they say that the animagus form is usually the same as the patronus corporal body. Maybe it will allow me to finally execute the patronus that I can't seem to do." Now the urgent problem was to find some information about it. She couldn't go to the library, its keeper would be suspicious, and she needed a professor allowance to explore the restricted area. However, she would be doing the exact thing her schoolmates blamed her about: gaining benefit from her family name to achieve what she needed and she won't allow herself to do so. Her way was blocked. Unless…

Luna quickly swallowed the rest of her food, and climbed the stairs leading to the seventh floor. She passed three times in front of the tapestry of Barnabas the Wisp trying to teach dancing to the trolls, as she was thinking " I really need a perfect place to learn how to become an animagus, theoretically and practically speaking, without anyone knowing about it, or discovering what I am doing". At first, nothing happened, so she thought that maybe she wasn't specific enough, but when a majestic door with wood sculptures appeared in front of her, she let her doubts go and entered the famous Room of requirement. Lily found herself in front of a little warm room, a wild fire burning into a chimney in the right corner, surrounded with cozy armchairs and pillows. In the left corner, there was a small library and a table with four chairs next to it, ink and parchment provided. "If this isn't heaven…" Lily thought. The girl closed the door behind her and advanced towards the appetizing books that waited for her. She took a first one and red the title: _What wizards need to know about animagi._ Luna picked a second one: _Animagi, how to acquire the skill,_ then a third one: _Animal metamorphosis, beware._ She excitedly put the last two books into her back bag, took a sit in front of the fire, and looked at her arm watch she received for her last birthday. "Okay", she thought, "now it's 6 a.m., I have one hour left. Then I'll have to go back to the great hall to get my schedule."

She opened the first book and started to read.

 _Preface_

 _An animagus, in plural animagi, is a witch or wizard who can morph him or herself into an animal at will. It is a learned skill, unlike the hereditary skill of a Metamorphmagnus. It takes skill, practice, and patience for wizards and witches to become Animagi. The process of becoming an Animagus is long and arduous, and has the potential to backfire and cause the transformation to go horribly wrong. Many witches and wizards simply feel that their time might better be employed in other ways, as the skill is of limited practical use unless one has a great need of disguise or concealment._

Well, she's doing it for fun, what other reason does she need to have?

 _The process is extremely difficult and can result in disaster (such as permanent half-human, half-animal mutations) if done incorrectly_. _Animagi can only take on the form of one specific animal. This animal form is not chosen by the wizard, but determined by their personality and inner traits. It may also be that the full-bodied Patronus may reveal what a witch or wizard would turn into if they were an Animagus. For example, Minerva McGonagall, a known cat Animagus, also has the Patronus of a cat. Apparently, the form the Patronus takes may be determined by the same inner-traits as the Animagus form. An Animagus in animal form is also not restrained by the lifespan limit of the creature that they otherwise transform into, seen in the case of Peter Pettigrew, who stayed in the form of a rat for at least twelve years, remaining alive despite the fact that rodents have a short lifespan._

In her case, she'll be doing the opposite thing. She was thinking about obtaining her corporal patronus after becoming an animagi, that if she didn't end up having a hybrid body.

 _Each Animagus bears an identifying mark on their animal form that is caused by something on their human body. This may be a physical trait like dental structure, or an acquired trait such as glasses. If an Animagus undergoes a major physical change, such as the loss of a limb, their animal form will also reflect that. An Animagus could consciously choose if they also wanted to transfigure their jewelry and clothing with them._

"Good thing, maybe I would be able to keep my wand."

Lily skipped the introduction part and went for the _formal requirements_ one:

 _Every Animagus is required to register with the Ministry of Magic at the Animagus Registry. This registration includes revealing one's animal form and one's distinguishing markings. The register is available to the public. The primary reason for registration is to ensure the Animagi do not abuse their abilities, as the Ministry is able to keep track of penalty for failing to register as an Animagus is a sentence in Azkaban, although the length of time is adaptable to each witch or wizard's case._

But she was a law-breaker, wasn't she?

 _Due to the complexity of the magic involved, the time it takes, and the limited use of the ability, Animagi have become very rare. There was a total of seven known registered Animagi in the twentieth century. It is also partially because of this complexity that Animagi are required to register themselves._

Well, she was going to try. If she failed,… Lily didn't want to think about it, mostly because it was terrifying. Then, she was a challenger by blood, and if Peter Pettigrew could do it while he wasn't known for being a brilliant wizard himself, why wouldn't she?

She closed the book and looked at her watch again. She still had half an hour in front of her. The sound of wood cracking in front of her was so appeasing that she didn't want to leave her place. Nonetheless, she opened the second book: _Animagi, how to acquire the skill_ and directly went to the chapter: _The process to become an animagus._

 _A witch or wizard must keep a single mandrake leaf in their mouth for an entire month (from full moon to full moon). If the leaf is removed or swallowed, the witch or wizard will have to start over again. At the next visible full moon (if the night happens to be cloudy one will have to start over) the wizard must spit the leaf in a phial within range of the moon's pure rays. To the moon-struck phial, the wizard or witch must add one of their own hairs, a silver teaspoon of dew that has not seen sunlight or been touched by human feet for seven days, and the chrysalis of a_ _ **Death's-head Hawk Moth**_ _. The mixture must be put in a quiet, dark place and be in any way disturbed._

 _The next thing that must happen is for the wizard to wait for an electrical storm, whenever that might be. During this waiting period the wizard must, at sunrise and sundown without fail, chant the incantation_ _ **Amato Animo Animato Animagus**_ _with the tip of their wand placed over the heart. When, at last, there is a lightening storm, the wizard ought to move immediately to a large and secure place, recite the incantation one final time, and then drink the potion._

Lily skipped to the potion preparation part and prepared a parchment to write the ingredients she'll need.

 **Preparation**

 _Almost every ingredient involved in brewing the Animagus potion involves careful preparation. For example, the Mandrake leaf must be soaked in the drinker's mouth for an entire month without pause, and the dew must be taken from a place previously untouched by sunlight or humans for at least seven days._ _Overall, at least a month of preparation is required._

 _ **Brewing**_

 _Place the now-soaked Mandrake leaf in a small crystal phial where it is struck directly by the light given off by the moon (if the night is cloudy or the moon is otherwise obscured, the entire Mandrake Leaf process will need to be repeated)._

 _Add one strand of hair to the phial._

 _Add a teaspoon of dew to the phial._

 _Add one Death's-head Hawk Moth chrysalis to the phial and place the mixture in a dark, undisturbed place until the next lightning storm._

 _If executed correctly, the potion will turn_ _ **blood-red**_ _at the instant lightning first strikes during the next lightning storm, signifying its completion._

 _ **Effects**_

 _It is advised to drink the potion in an open, out of sight area, so as to not disturb or startle those nearby who are unaware of the transformation the drinker is about to undergo. They may feel uncomfortable or panicked in a new body, and this may cause them to destroy their surroundings._

 _Instantly after consumption, they will feel "a fiery pain and an instance double heartbeat". The shape of the creature they will transform into will appear in their mind directly before the transformation._

 _If successful, the drinker will now have the ability to transform from human to animal by envisioning the animal with the intent of transforming in mind, and vice versa. If unsuccessful, the drinker may experience gruesome half-human half-animal mutations that are permanent, and_ _ **cannot be fixed**_ _._

She won't back off now right? She knew that she could do it. Could she? Well she'll have time to think about it. Lily copied the ingredients on the parchment, made sue she didn't forget a thing and put the book back into her bag. So the first thing she'll need is a Mandrake leaf. There was a trip to Hogsmeade this weekend. She'll have to search where to find one. Luna looked at her hand-watch again. It was 7:15 am. She needed to hurry so she stood up, looked around to see if she forgot something, and left the room with a bright smile on her face towards the Great Hall to meet her cousins for breakfast, well she felt hungry again, would you mind.

 _The information about animagi are from : wiki/Animagus_

However, the title of the books and the sorting of the information are mine. I'll be pleased to hear your opinions about the whole fiction! :D


	5. A complex riddle

"No one would want to listen to a person praising about how perfect his or her life is, or how successfully brilliant she or he is, and to make it a little bit more unbearable, they could add that "they didn't even try". Well, I was like that too. I would tell you that I learned riding bicycles without suffering from any fall or that I was always among the top of my class without really trying hard, and to be honest, it was awesome at that point of my life. However, here comes the problem. Life is never that simple; it never was and never will be. Its surface may seem peaceful and harmonious, its waves may look limpid and warm, but that is only a mask, that Life wears to appear trustworthy and caring, which she is not, or maybe she is. Until this day, this, I do not know. Nevertheless, there is something I have been made aware of, in quite recent times. It seems that becoming an adult requires some sacrifices. Each child, including those we call teenagers, has to pass a cruel test that would be their ticket to the train of real life. Then, one you cross that door of adulthood, it all starts. You will not have any chance to respite. You will be kicked, beaten; you will stumble with every step you take. Most of the times, you will even fall, but you have no choice other than to get up and try again. Then spontaneously, the cycle starts again, and again, and will never stop until the last node of this fragile material we are ceaselessly trying to perfectly weave. Life is never simple; it never was and never will be." L.L.P

-"Good morning everyone", Lily exclaimed happily as she sat in the Gryffindor table.

-"Where the hell have you been?", Rose directly asked her angrily. "I woke up and there were no trace of you anywhere!"

-"Oh relax Rose, I just woke up early, and went for a little walk in the castle. I've always done it last year, remember? There's nothing to fuss about."

-"Sure there is, imagine you've encountered a Slytherin, can you just think about how devious they are?"

-"Look, I'm in a good mood today, please don't start turning it into a nightmare! And how many times do I need to tell you that we are not at war anymore, and even so, I am perfectly able to defend myself!"

-"Just cut it out you two." Albus interfered, "Look, there's Longbottom, he's giving us our timetable. They say the _real_ war is about to come, O.W.L.s! "

-"ProfessorLongbottom, Albus." Rose whispered, to not be heard by the Head of Gryffindor. " Plus, if, for once, you don't wait for the last minute to scamp your work, you won't have anything to be worried about."

-"Talk for yourself, Rose. You've inherited your mother's brains!" Roxanne ruefully stated. "Not everyone is as lucky as you are, daughter of Hermione bloody Granger!" she shouted quite amusingly.

The whole group burst out laughing so hard they didn't see Neville standing right next to them. Rose was the first one to notice him, so her face just froze, as she elbowed Albus to make him notice as well. The two other girls were sitting with their back turned that they just continued giggling.

-"All right folks," Professor Longbottom declared, his right eyebrow raised in amusement, as a polar air washed over Lily, Roxanne and Albus. "Here are your schedules, and it's not because your parents are my friends that you are allowed to behave in a recklessness way. " Then he leaned forward and whispered with a smile," Send them greetings from me, would you?" and left to continue distributing the papers.

Lily looked around her. The whole Gryffindor table was staring at them, and even some Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were looking too. Embarrassed from their teacher's favoritism, Lily hid her face under her hair and bent forward to read her timetable, and could the day could start in a worse way? It was awfully awful. The first course in the morning was potions. They had it with Slytherin. As usual, the potion instructor was Professor Malcom Baddock. Then they had History of Magic with Professor Cuthbert Binns. After lunch, Defense Against the Dark Arts that Professor Ahal Partula, Head of Slytherin assured, and divination with, of course, Professor Trelawney. All right. In 15 min, their super packed day will start. Suddenly, Lily remembered that she didn't bring the potions book with her. Crap.

-"Guys, I forgot my book at the dorms! "Lily said, quickly standing up and wiping her mouth. "I'll do as fast as I can, don't wait for me!" She left the great hall running to the Gryffindor tower, taking a secret passage to fasten up and, finally climbed the winding mahogany staircase. As soon as the Fat Lady portrait came into her field of view, she almost yelled the password _Fortuna Major._ "Yeah, I'd really use some _greater luck_ ", she mumbled to herself. Lily knew that it was no real big deal to forget her book and that the professor would let it go. Again, she didn't want anyone to blame her for any kind of favoritism. Luna was already on her way back to the dungeons, the sinister place where the lessons took place. She was late of 1 minute, if her watch still worked normally, it was acceptable. Running, she turned the corner, thinking about some kind of excuse when, with her damned luck, she stumbled into some hard surface and fell idiotically on her back. Cursing, she started yelling while immediately picking her stuff: "Shit, is it really hard for whoever you are to watch your steps when you walk, or do you sincerely believe that you own this place to move this casually into the corridors!" Standing up, she raised her head to look whom she was talking to. _Oh crap,_ she thought, _I really need to start thinking before saying whatever comes to my mind,_ because, facing her, cold as marble but majestic as an eagle, stood Scorpius Malfoy. He was holding one of her books in his hand and red loud enough for her to hear:" _What wizards need to know about animagi."_ His voice was deep and husky as if he just woke up, which was true. Without losing any more time, Lily snatched it from his hands and continued her path to the classroom after slipping :"Apologizing is not a crime, you know?". Silently, his face showing an annoyed smirk, he followed her to the door of the class, which was closed.

-"All right", Lily said, "you knock or I knock?"

But only silence answered her.

 _Am I really expecting some kind of answer from a Malfoy?_

Shaking her head, she softly knocked the door, and almost instantly, it opened in front of her.

-"Miss Potter!", professor Baddock exclaimed, "you're finally honoring us with your presence. Who's behind you? Ah Mr. Malfoy. Come in, both of you, we were about to start."

Lily advanced with an apologetic little smile and searched with her eyes for an empty table. There was only one table at the end of the class which two stairs were still empty. Her two cousins were sitting together in the front row and her brother shared a table with another Gryffindor, Peter Mcartney.

 _Crap,_ she told herself, _I'm stuck with the idiot snake for two hours._

They both sat at the last row with an awkward silence.

-"You all know you have to pass your O.W.L.s at the end of the year and I expect highly of my students. ," Pr. Baddock said. "The mixture we're studying today, is a quite hard one and it's very likely for it to be among the potions you will be asked about. I, therefore, demand focus and constant care. Who can tell us what the Invigoration Draught is ? »

No one raised his/her hand. Pure silence filled the class. The professor let out a sigh. He looked expectedly at Rose who, herself, let out a sigh. It's true that she inherited her mother's brain but that doesn't mean that she actually was her mother; she didn't jump in her seat raising her hand and even if Rose knew the answer, she does get bored at class. But with the look Baddock gave her right then, she had no choice but to answer:

-"The Invigoration Draught is a potion which presumably boosts the drinker's energy. Its known ingredients are alihotsy leaves, dried billywig leaves, infusion of wormwood and peppermint. It should be used moderately or it could cause some indigestion."

As Rose finished talking, the same ingredients appeared on the board written in white chalk altogether with the way of preparation.

-"Exactly", Pr. Baddock announced, "10 points to Gryffindor, I wouldn't expect less from you, Miss Granger-Weasley. Now, I'll ask all of you to work in pairs with your table comrade. I remind you, stay attentive, each ingredient has its own effect. At the end of the period, fill a crystal phial, write your names on it, and put it on my desk."

It was Lily's turn to let out a sigh. Dear Merlin, what did she do to deserve such a morning. Who said that two hours before she was calmly sitting in front of a cozy fire reading a book peacefully? Now she had to work with the school's biggest creep and she had to bear with the class's annoying sorry stares.

" _Okay Lily."_ , she told herself." _Bear with for two hours only. No big deal right? "_

With a big breath, Luna turned to the grey eyed Slytherin and said.

-"I'll go bring the ingredients. We'll devise the preparation steps in two parts. There are 19 steps. From the first step to the 9th, you do it and I'll do the rest. Okay?"

Lily found herself looking into what seemed now like a grey storm. Although, except Scorpius' eyes, his face was still cold as marble.

-"You do not give me orders." That was all he said, with that deep scary voice of him. She stood waiting for him to propose another plan but he didn't. So she assumed that they will do what she said. She brought the mixture's ingredients and sat, waiting for him to accomplish his part of the deal. At first, Lily felt uneasy sitting with someone she didn't know at all. Sure, there was the rumors about him mastering dark magic. However, if there was anyone who learned not to believe the damned rumors, it was herself, she already suffered from it. And even if he did use it, for four years she hadn't seen someone actually harmed by Scorpius Malfoy. Looking at the boy standing next to her, Lilly was amazed with how he moved. He looked as perfect as a porcelain doll and executed every movement with such spontaneous grace that he almost didn't look human. Then, there was that dark aura that seemed to follow him wherever he went, which she assumed was the consequence of those frozen and nonexistent face expressions and those dark grey orbs that scared the shit out of everyone. At that moment, Lily realized that Scorpius was a complicated riddle. What could have happened to someone his age for him to end as lifeless as such? She was following her own flow of thoughts when she heard him murmuring.

-"Your turn." It was an almost inaudible murmur and if she didn't actually see him sit and go back to sleep with his head on his crossed hands Lily would swear that he didn't even talk. Luna shook her head. What could have happened to him is none of her business. She stood up and begin her work.

Scorpius, in fact was only closing his eye, not sleeping. He had noticed her curious gaze so he did the best thing he knew how to do; he found a way to block it and move away from it. He didn't need anyone annoying him in his daily life. But the Malfoy had to admit, it was surprising that for once, someone didn't look scared from him, even being only a meter away. That was something new. New, nevertheless, unwelcome. So the little red-headed foul would better stay from him. Noticing how uninterested she already was, Scorpius just let the thought leave his mind and reposed his head until the end of the period. He made sure he wrote his name and put the flask on the professor's desk. Then he left the room to the next boring class.

The day went by so loaded for the Hogwarts' young witches and wizards that at dinnertime, they all sat exhausted in the Great Hall, and managed to pull themselves to their dorms for a bit of rest. After all, it was the first day of recovery after a whole summer of lingering. That's how the echo of voices in the corridors slowly died and was soon replaced by marvelous dreams and doughty adventures. Dreams for some, for others… Nightmares.

 **Hello everyone, feel free to let me know what you think so far :D I'll be really pleased and motivated to keep up.** 3


	6. The words of a Malfoy

The heavy veil of the night has finally risen, giving way to a soft light sneaking through the glasses of the dormitory tiles of the Gryffindor tower. The sleeper breaths formed a slow, steady rhythm, soothing the spirits of the only person in all Hogwarts who could be awake at this time of day. The two blue-navy eyes stared passively through the window, watching the first birds as they flew to the labor of the day. Lily seemed too tired to get up, even though her stomach was starting to yell from famine. Perhaps it was time to visit the infirmary for an insomnia cure, she'll think about it later. Now, she even felt tired to think. Luna could use some music right now, some suave melody or crystalline ardent voice that would accompany her during this peaceful moment. She already tried using the little radio her aunt bought her but it didn't function due to a spell cast on all Hogwarts forbidding any electromagnetic device inside its walls. The redheaded girl decided to do some researches about it later, maybe she'll find a trick to deviate this spell, if she could transform the electromagnetic signals to magical ones, or mix the both of them so the spell won't detect it anymore. That was another idea she added to her list she called: "morning craziness". Almost all of the crazy thoughts that occurred to her came during this period of the day. For now, Lily decided to focus on the most challenging one: will she really try to become an animagus even if it was dangerous and most of all hard? Luna sat up on her bed, bought her knees closer to her chest, surrounded them with her hands and leaned her back against the bed's headboard. In fact she really wanted to try it. She really wanted to discover her patronus form too and she couldn't understand why she didn't succeed in it. Her memories drafted back to a summer day, when she asked her father to help her.

 _Lily was in her room lying on her bed doing nothing special. It was the beginning of the afternoon and after a copious lunch, James and Albus were snoring and she didn't feel like reading any book. She went down the stairs and found her father in the living room sitting on the dining table, filling some work papers. She sat next to him and just watched him working. People said Lily looked so much like her late grandmother although she got Ginny's blue eyes. That's how she ended physically far away from Harry, but both of them new better. It was her that got the legendary Potter trait: trouble making, even if she was smart enough to almost always get away from it without anyone noticing. Her mind was floating thousand miles away so that she jumped in her sat when her dad finally noticed her and asked her:_

 _-"Oh hey there, I didn't see you come in."_

 _-"I didn't want to disturb you so I tried not to make too much noise", Lily answered honestly._

 _-"Didn't you get bored sitting doing nothing? I admire your patience", Harry said laughingly while closing his folder._

 _-"I was bored already", she confessed. "What are those papers about?", Lily asked bending forward curiously._

 _-" Nothing special, just one of the usual Ministry cases. It was reported that some wizard is selling corrupted wands claiming they would allow anyone to achieve his Patronus charm."_

 _-"Is it true that this charm is the most difficult charm among any other?"_

 _-"Actually I would say that it depends on the mentor you could have because you have to understand exactly how it works first. Then you have to dig inside yourself to search for the ultimate memory that makes you happy the most. Lots of practice is required if you want to have a corporeal Patronus which is more effective than the uncorporal one, and is kind of your spiritual guardian. No worries though, it is far beyond N.E.W.T. level and actually, why would my little Lil' have to face any dementor all by herself?"_

 _-"I really want to see what shape it would take though", Lily exclaimed with excitement. "Can you please show me dad?"_

 _-"Uh, I don't know… Okay, but don't tell your mom about this, deal?" Harry whispered._

 _-"Works for me! "Lily shouted._

 _They both went to the part of the garden that was behind the house and where no one could see them. Harry trained her for the whole afternoon after casting a little protection spell; it was a secret spell only the Aurors knew that allowed them to prevent any trace of magic to leak from the 5 meters circle they draw with their wands. Lily could perform an uncorporeal Patronus, but after many hours of training, it didn't seem to take any distinguishing form. Although she wasn't very pleased with the result, her dad seemed very happy and announced:_

 _-"It's brilliant Lil'! Succeeding in casting a Patronus is already at a very advanced level and I myself couldn't even do it from the first try. You are as talented as you grandmother from whom you take your name! I'm very happy really!"_

 _With a bright smile, they went back into the house and Harry couldn't contain himself from laughing and humming a fast swinging tune the whole evening. But Lily conserved a bitter taste in her mouth, she really wanted to know the form of her Patronus. However, after casting the Auror protection spell in her room ( which she secretly memorized) and silencing it almost every day for the whole next week, she didn't make an ounce of development. Lily felt like there was something blocking the whole protocol, and maybe time will solve it._

Luna stood up sighing. It was already half an hour after 5 of the morning. She put on her uniform and her schoolbag after making sure she didn't forget anything like the past day. She left the dorms to the kitchen, got a bag full of goods and went to the library to start working on the homework the Professors gave them. Meanwhile, Luna took a definitive decision; yes she'll try to become an animagus at all costs. So from that day, she'll start gathering whatever comes under her hands that could be needed in the process. She still had the parchment where she wrote the list of ingredient in her pocket. For now, she had one hour and a half to finish the homework she hadn't started yet.

 **ooooooooooooooooo**

It was dark. The whole cubic chamber was dark. Every surface on it was covered in black, even the ground consisted of black sand. The only source of light was a small window feet away from the ground, allowing a unique white beam to pass through its church-like glass. In the wall on the opposite side of the chamber stood a black door. The boy advanced towards it and tried to open it. It was locked; there was no way out of the room or no way in. He felt cold. He looked down and realized he was only wearing black pants and his feet were bare. No trail of his wand either. In a desperate movement, he tried to break the door. Alas, it was vain. He tried to reach the window. It was too far above. It was vain too. Therefore, he did the only thing he could do. The boy sat down and waited. He felt like a prisoner. Where the hell was he? Minutes passed and it was as if he heard the ticking of a clock breaking the death silence of the room. He started to feel hunger too. If he were really a prisoner, someone had to bring him food, right? Suddenly, he caught sight of a shovel standing in the corner of the room. He could swear it wasn't there an instant before. What could he do with a shovel? Right. Dig a tunnel and get the hell out of that place, but out to where? "You'll know later, now get to work", he told himself. And he did. There he was digging, sweat rolling from his body. A small pit started to form too slowly until the shovel hit something hard. He had to take out the rock blocking the way. He took out the sand around it and picked the white rock in his hand. He was about to shove it behind him when his movements froze. It wasn't a rock. It was the skull of a skeleton buried in the chamber. He was in a temple or a tomb or he didn't know what. The boy dropped the bone back into the pit, it was moving! He turned back to the place he was sitting in, and stood his back leaning on the wall, his body shaking angrily. All around him, skeleton hands erupted from the ground and started crawling towards him. He started hitting them with the shovel but they always came back. He started screaming for help, and as he just opened his mouth, other screams filled the place. He knew that voice, it was his mother's! Tears started crumbling from his grey eyes as he desperately fought for survival. Alas, the dead bones started closing up on him and he had no choice but to slip down against the wall in a fetus position and wait for the worst, screaming his lungs out…

 **ooooooooooooooooooooooo**

Scorpius almost jumped on his bed while sitting. His pajamas were sticking to his body from sweat. His breathing was unsteady and rapid. He could swear he was going to die devoured by some freaking zombies and his throat hurt him from screaming so loud. He looked in the dorm around him. Good. The three other Slytherin were still sleeping, he could say that his silencing charm worked well this time. The clock showed 6:00 .

Scorpius felt angry, maybe it was the effect of the nightmare or the fact that he heard his mother's voice in agony, but he felt very angry, the fact was there. He stood up and got out of his bed. Silently incanting, his clothes disappeared from his trunk and appeared on him, replacing the pajama. He took his schoolbag, miniaturizing his backpack enough to shove it into his pocket, took his broom and got out of the room. Scorpius didn't realize that one of his dorm mate was awakened by his screams and that he acted as if he was still sleeping. "Did I really see what I saw?" Ryleigh Zabini thought when Scorpius left. "Am I wrong or did his eye's color turned completely black? That is impossible. No mate, you are bluffing, you better go back to sleep."

Scorpius descended the dormitory stairs and left the common room. There was rage burning into him, fierce and destructive. His mind was so dazzled that he couldn't think anymore. He reached the astronomy tower and decollated on his broom. Scorpius just flew, he flew far away from the castle towards the lake, the wind striking his face and his hair flapping behind his head. He flew at the fullest speed his broom could allow him to, his reflection crystal clear, shone under him on the surface of the lake. He was getting away from all the judgment, the loneliness, the dark looks, the sadness, he was escaping what grew to be his personal hell. Then he left the lake under him and took off to the sky, as an arrowhead into the cold clouds. Let them hate him. They knew nothing about him. They didn't reach half his skills but there they was, judging him as if they knew better. But the world knows. The world will show them how wrong they were. HE will spit their harsh words in their faces when he will be their boss after Hogwarts, because he will succeed, and he will educate himself the best way so he will reach the top afterwards and leave them far behind. These were the words of a Malfoy.

 **OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

 **Snedwards2** **:** **Thank you for your comment, it made me really happy. They are my favorite ships too! :')**

 **For all the silent readers, I really wouldn't mind if you tell me what you think ;)**


	7. Mischief managed

It was already seven and a half in the morning and most of Hogwarts students were in the Great Hall for breakfast. Various succulent dishes were spread over the four long tables and the greediest students swallowed different types of food without respite. The enchanted ceiling reflected a calm blue sky without any clouds; it was an appeasing morning for all. Our dear Gryffindor friends were sitting among others, enjoying the calm before the tempest of the day. Lily Potter was buttering a slice of bread when she noticed that one of her brothers were missing.

-"Albus," she asked her twin brother, "where is James?"

-"He's still snoring I guess", Fred answered nonchalantly, while Albus yawning, shrugged his shoulders.

-"Someone needs to wake him up", Lily sighed. She was just about to start bargaining with them when James made his appearance into the Great Hall.

-"Speak of the devil, there he is", Roxanne announced theatrically pointing at the doors. He was walking towards them and stood behind the part of the table their little group took, so they could all see him.

-"Exactly Roxanne, the devil has a big announcement to make! Listen well because, …"

-"Because what James. If it is one of your stupid pranks I really don't want to stay here all day", Lily interrupted him rolling her eyes.

-"How rude of you little sis, you are directly concerned with what I'm about to say so you better listen carefully:  
I, James Sirius Potter, the most awesome person in this room, have been named CAPTAIN OF THE GRYFFINDOR QUIDDITCH TEAM!", he stated yelling the last sentence.

Immediately, the whole Gryffindor table and some of the Hufflepuff and the Ravenclaw started applauding him and cheering for him while James theatrically bowed repeatedly to them, saluting his "fans". Even though Lily thought that most of their reactions where fake, she nonetheless felt happy for her brother, she knew that he deserved it and she gave him a bright smile. Her older brother was a wonderful seeker, no surprises knowing that he was personally trained by his father Harry and mother Ginny. For her part, she was far better at being a chaser. Albus wasn't really into quidditch, he didn't like it to the point of being into the team but he was nonetheless a huge fan.

With all the hustle that all of the sudden enveloped the Great Hall, even for the Slytherin table who were for their part "booing", the professors had to interfere.

-"All right ladies and gentlemen, it's almost eight. Everyone off to their classrooms and you better be fast before I start taking points off!"

 _ **oooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooo**_

Rose, Lily, Albus and Roxanne walked towards the first session of the day, the transfiguration class. Professor Michael Corner was a friend of their parents and he treated them as strictly as he treated any of their comrades, which Lily approved. Albus was telling them a joke about a troll who went to the gym to build some muscles and how the owner told him he needed to build some neurons first when they heard screaming. They run and turned the corner to see what was happening: A duel had burst between a group of students and the most astonishing fact was that they all shared the same house. The problem was that they was all against one, which was far from fair. However, the lonely dualist was managing himself well. Lily almost immediately incanted a shield to protect the four of them from the light jets.

It was terrible. Lily identified the lone wolf as no other but Scorpius Malfoy and four Slytherin students, three boys and one girl, was attacking him, the all of them in their fifth year. He was mostly defending himself from their spells but whenever he saw an opportunity to attack, he did it with no second doubt.

As a prefect, Rose murmured to her three cousins:

-"We have to do something! Roxanne, go tell a professor about this. Albus and Lily, let's try to stop this fanfare before any one gets badly hurt."

The three of them was about to disarm them all when someone did it before them; Scorpius had had enough, and with a silent spell, every single person present in the corridor, except for him, saw their wands out of their hands and dropping to the floor. A dead silence followed. No one dared to move an inch. They stood there dumbfounded for Merlin knows how long until they heard steps running towards them and Minerva Mcgonagall appeared accompanied with Roxanne.

-"What on Merlin is going on here ?!", she angrily exclaimed. As no one of them answered, she took a short breath and calmly declared, "Everyone follow me to my office right away."

That's how Lily found herself in the headmistress office without doing nothing special, but Mcgonagall didn't want to hear a word. The nine of them sat on uncomfortable wood chairs under the strict gaze of the Professor. The four Slytherin, Ryleigh Zabini, Dakota Nott, Noah Caden Davis and his brother Rhudi Scarlett were looking down embarrassed. Scorpius was looking ahead of him, wearing a perfect mask of coldness, as if nothing really happened.

-"Rose", the Minerva said, " I trust you to tell me what exactly happened".

Rose hated it when the Professors took her for a "saint angel", but she nevertheless responded and told her what the four Gryffindor saw.

-"Isn't this surprising…", Mcgonagall finally sighed. "In my whole career I had to deal with Slytherin against the other houses, Slytherin against Gryffindor, Slytherin against youngsters but, honestly, this is a first! Why did I ever feel that it could be a good day?" She sat in silence for a moment then asked.

-"Mr. Malfoy, tell me what is this about."

Scorpius' facial mask dropped for a second, showing a deeply annoyed frown.

-"Ask them why they attacked me out of nowhere. All I did was defend myself."

Rose's eyebrows raised in disapproval in front such impoliteness. Lily, however, couldn't keep herself from thinking how unique his voice was. Its timbre was normally deep and husky as if it held the world's secrets in it. It was the first time that she heard a sentence this long out of him.

The four Slytherin didn't find anything to say. As they left the office with a whole week's detention, Zabini was silent but his mind was far from quiet.

" _I wasn't wrong", he told himself. "When he came down that astronomy tower, his eyes were pure black. When we attacked him, holy Dumbledore, they went back to grey!"_

 _ **OOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOO**_

As they went out of the headmistress' office, Rose stated that there was no point in going back to the transfiguration class, Professor Corner would never accept them if they showed themselves this late. They found themselves with one hour and a half blank space in their daily schedule. Immediately, three groups were formed, well two groups and a half? The four Slytherin opened the march, followed by the four Gryffindor, and very far away, Scorpius closed it. Roxanne was acting very strangely, she'd glance back nervously every now and then, she'd stumble in her walk many times with no apparent reason and she'd chew a particular strand of her hair ceaselessly, until Albus noticed it and raised his brows. He asked her quite teasingly:

-"Hey Roxanne, I know that dude gives everyone the creeps but there's no reason for you to be scared, nothing will happen to you here or anywhere else, besides, we're all here together, right?"

-"Stop it Albus," she answered while getting her hair out of her mouth, "I'm not scared of him."

-"Oh really! Then tell me why are you shewing your hair non-stop?"

-"It's none of your business!", Roxanne yelled and quickly run away from the corridor with no turning back.

-"What do you think is happening to her?" Lily quietly asked.

-"I don't know", Rose mumbled," but let's give her some space for now shall we? She'll tell us later for sure."

-"All right.", Albus declared, "What should we do now?"

-"Hum, do I have to remind that we have a potions homework for tomorrow? "

-"I already did mine today. I woke up early and found nothing to do", Lily added in her defense as Albus looked at her accusingly. "Go on, I'll catch up with you later."

-"You sure you don't want to give me your parchment? I'll correct it for you if you want!", her twin brother exclaimed giving her a puppy look.

-"In your dreams Mr. Potter", she yelled, laughing.

Her two cousins left her and turned the corridor towards the school's library. Actually, Lily had a mission to achieve. She quickly walked towards the Gryffindor tower and gave the password to the Fat Lady. As she got into the common room, it was fully empty and only the sound of cracking wood burning in its hearth.

 _Perfect,_ she told herself.

With no second thoughts, she climbed the stairs leading to the 7th year boy's dorms and went in. The room was composed of five bed, circling a heater in the middle. Lily glanced for her brother's mall and quickly recognized it.

The red-haired girl moved towards it and flipped it open. There they were, the marauder's map and the invisibility cloak. She put them in her backpack and left after closing the mall. She went back to the common room and put on the cape, then sit in an almost hidden armchair near the big study-table. After making sure she was all hidden, Lily opened the marauder's map on her lap and murmured while pointing her wand towards it:" _I solemnly swear I'm up to no good._ " Immediately, the castle's whole plan was in front of her. Lily searched for a particular name, and found it in a class of the first floor along with around twenty other names; Professor Baddock was teaching first years.

" _Yes! "_ She yelped happily.

Here comes a problem, she didn't hear the Fat Lady's painting swinging open and if she didn't think of putting on the cloak before sitting, her brother James would have found her immediately because there he was, standing like a foul in the huge common room, listening carefully trying to find out where the strange yell he heard came from. After 10 seconds of standing still with his eyes searching across the room, he shook his head, let himself fall on the biggest armchair in front of the chimney, and closed his eyes to sleep. Lily knew James had a fine hearing, so she tiptoed towards the exit.

-"You forgot your wand, Lil' sis."

Lily jumped in her place and froze. She turned towards the table, and there her wand was, sitting peacefully on the table.

-"I trust you'll give them back to me after your mischief, right? , he asked teasingly.

-"Of course not, is that even a question?" Lily answered with a little laugh. "Got to go!"

She left quickly after picking her wand. Sometimes, her brother could be awesome. Now, she had no more time to loose. Lily run towards the dungeon passing through one or two secret passages. She checked the map again. The potions' professor was still in his class. Today was her lucky day. She was willing to buy the animagus potion components during their little trip to Hogsmeade, but some of the ingredients was rare or very expensive and she knew that the professor could get them very easily so she didn't have to feel guilty for what she was about to do.

Lily arrived in front of the big door where Baddock put his phials, bowls and many other items that could devour your whole arm with a one sip. She found the portal locked.

 _Alohomora!_

Luna stepped into the dark room. She didn't have much time, so she murmured: _Accio_ _Mandrake leaf!_ Instantly, a green herb came flying to her. She pointed her wand towards it and incanted: _Gemino!_ It was a complex spell, but fortunately, she managed to make an exact copy of the mandrake leaf that she left in the place of the original one; the copy looked exactly the same but Lily didn't want to take the risk of it loosing its properties. _Accio dew!_ A red bottle started shaking in front of her. Lily opened the lid and took some of the herbal from inside that she put into a little sac she brought with her. She then recapped it and put it back to its place. Now, only the Death's-head Hawk Moth chrysalis was left, and even if she found one there, which was not probable, will it stay as a chrysalis for a full month, even more? She had no time left, so she performed a summoning spell once again, but this time, it was vain. Nothing come to her encounter. Suddenly, the corridors started to be filled up with noise; the students were leaving their classes. Lily glanced to the map, the Professor has just left his class! She quickly left the room, and as she just locked the door, he just turned the corner of the corridor. Luna moved from in front the door _in extremis,_ and watched him get into the ingredients' room. She let out a breath of relief. It was done, and hopefully, no trace of her actions would be found. Lily went to a hidden corner and, making sure no one was looking at her, took off the cloak and put it with the little sac and the map into her backpack, and went for her next session. She didn't forget to recite the magical words: " Mischief managed."

 **OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**


	8. Fire? It burns

**For whence did Dante get the material for his hell, if not from the actual world of ours?"**

Navid Kermani **,** The Terror of God: Attar, Job and the Metaphysical Revolt

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

" _Perhaps, before being catapulted into the world, one's soul gets to choose not to be born. That stays an impossible riddle to solve and no one ever knows the answer to this existential kind of questions. However, if the fact is already there and if one's soul is brought into the world, its host shall be a result of an act of pure lottery._

 _It is known that no one gets to choose his family, as much as no one gets to choose the name or the appearance that would accompany his soul through the_ _ **inferno**_ _that the world is. If all that was already known, why would anyone blame others for things they didn't get to choose? Will appearances continue to rule this world even though everyone in their miserable existence has to encounter the other side of the mask at least once and therefore, has to learn not to trust appearances in a rather hard way? Seeing the pitiful state that the world is in right now, it seems that humanity is still young and has yet to learn. How many other decanis will it take to finally decide to grow up? That stays another riddle impossible to solve within a mere human life…" S.M._

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Scorpius had nothing to do for one hour and a half. He too thought that there was no point in appearing in front of his class door. So there he was, sitting in a corner of the front yard of Hogwarts where it was hard to be noticed, lost in his thoughts. This part of the castle was very famous as it was the place where Harry Potter has triumphed over Lord Voldemort. This was the place where once, all his family stood, united against anything that would ruin their lives, as his father, and grandparents left when Potter was found still alive. People called them cowards, it was one of the insults that he gets often. But, as always, no one takes time to hear the other façade of the story. They were pureblood. They had it all; wealth, fame, beauty and power. Persons as the Order of Phoenix fought for their dream of a better world, they fought for glory. On the contrary, purebloods only lived for survival, and they have survived. Lucius was in Azkaban, true, but he will find a way to get out, as he did during the first part of the war. Narcissa was a pure-black and a Malfoy, two names among the most powerful ones in the wizarding world, she will always stay respected and powerful. Draco got out of it as he made it clear that he only did what he did to help his family survive. The difference between his family and him was the fact that they actually had something to be blamed of even if they knew how to fight back. Scorpius was blamed because he was born into the wrong family, as simple as that. It is as if the wizarding world couldn't attack the Malfoy family directly so they chose the easiest wheel of the chain, the younger one, the most vulnerable of them four, him.

At times like these, he wished he had a sibling. It would be less painful, less lonely. They could share the hatred. Then, he hated himself for thinking that way; how could he wish for someone to be hated? That's what his parents did after all, that's what all parents do.

" **If children were brought into the world by an act of pure reason alone, would the human race continue to exist? Would not a man rather have so much sympathy with the coming generation as to spare it the burden of existence, or at any rate not take it upon himself to impose that burden upon it in cold blood?"** ( **Arthur Schopenhauer** , **Studies in Pessimism: The Essays )**

That's what parents do. They impose life on their children. They are so ethnocentric that they only think of themselves, it would be great to raise a child, wouldn't it. What about that child himself, did he ask to be born? No one thinks about that, do they?

Footsteps sound reached his ears. Scorpius turned his head to the source of the slow sound. A read head was coming his way. He guessed it should be a Weasley. The perfect example of easy life after the war. If you are lucky enough to be born a Weasley or a Potter, you'll have it all granted. This one marching towards his hiding place had frizzy hair, it encircled her face like a crazy cloud. She was humming a soft melody, as she got closer, he recognized **Danse Macabre** of **Camille Saint Saens.** It was very beautiful. Scorpius searched for the girl's name in his head but vainly, he didn't know it. Scorpius wanted to move before she notices him, but he couldn't. He was tired, the battle earlier this morning left him exhausted even if he didn't let it appear. He was sick from running too. So he chose to stay in his place. If he was lucky enough, she wouldn't even see him. If not, she had no reason to address him, she would be scared like the others and quickly get away. That's how he decided to get back to his book. When he was slowly drifting back into the words, he felt that something was missing. After two seconds he found the reason; the beautiful tune has stopped.

Scorpius raised his head. He was stroked by two strong green eyes looking straight into his grey ones. An aura of faded energy seemed to envelop the girl, as if a naturally bubbling energy stopped for a little while. From her eyes, he knew that she was lost. She stood there, two meters away from his hideout, and was staring at him. Scorpius felt uncomfortable. He decided to ignore her. One minute passed, two and she didn't move. It was weird.

"-All right", he snapped, "what do you want?"

The girl seemed to get out of a stance he didn't know she was in.

-"What you did there, it was admirable. How did you manage it?" , she asked him quietly.

-"It is none of your business.", Scorpius declared.

The girl kept quiet again as if she got back into her own bubble. She wanted to ask him why he was always alone, but instead, she only murmured:

-"I like the book you're reading, it has a unique point of view about the whole world. " But only silence answered her.

-"You know," Roxanne concluded, "You may choose to be always alone, but if you let yourself go a little bit, people might become less scared and more curious…" Then she left without giving him any chance to retort.

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Zabini's mind was working hard. If his friends focused enough, they could maybe see its engines roaring. His Slytherin comrades asked him why he attacked Malfoy that way so they had to cover him and he answered that he felt like it. But he knew better. He wanted to check if what he saw that morning was true, and it was. Now he wanted to know how. Was is normal that someone's eyes change color? He never heard about it. So he spent the spare time he had won in the library, searching, vainly. Unless he was a werewolf, which he doubted, no book mentioned about eye-color changing. His dad was a friend of Drace Malfoy, but he never mentioned anything about his eyes. He decided to write a letter to his father to ask him about the matter. Was Scorpius even aware about that? Zabini decided to put his search to halt until he got his father's answer.

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The Gryffindor team was heading towards the quidditch campsite. It was five in the afternoon that evening. James gave them 5 mins to change into sports outfit and Lily was excited. It had been a while since she last rode her broom. So she was the first to get out on the playground and to start flying. However, she found a little difficulty. It was hard to play without swallowing Mandrake leaf that she put in her mouth right after lunch while marking the exact day and hour on her calendar. She spent the whole training afraid to actually eat it. Lily thought it should be wiser to find something that would help her keep the leaf in her mouth without it bothering her. However, she could see the curiosity in her brother's eyes. No doubt, he knew something was wrong with her flying compared to how she could normally do it. When the training session ended, James walked towards his sister and told her:

-"Lily, I know you're conspiring something which is none of my business. However, if it's preventing you from doing your best I'll have to interfere. I really don't want to do it, so find a solution, and quickly!"

Lily didn't answer him because if she did, he'll notice something in her mouth. She just nodded, changed her clothes in the locker-room and went back to the castle. She went immediately to the library to look for a way to magically glue the leaf under her upper lip for a month. After finding the spell she was looking for, Lily applied it and left the library. The castle was empty and outside the windows, night have already thrown her veil on the world. She looked at her watch. She only had five minutes to go back to her dormitory until curfew and she felt really exhausted that she didn't want to risk anything, so she hurried up towards the Gryffindor tower.

The castle could be really scary when he wanted to. As she walked, her shadow was following her under the fire raging in the torches. Luna wrapped herself in her cloak and got out the marauders map to be able to follow the secret passages that would allow her to reach her destination faster. As she murmured the secret words, she froze in her steps. Two other students were out of their beds and were in a class on the third floor. It was as if one of them was leaning on the farthest corner away from the second person, who was blocking the door out. It they were two random names, maybe Lily wouldn't have cared less. The problem was that the names that was inked on the parchment was indeed very known to her: Roxanne Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy.

Lily didn't think twice. She run. Her mind froze on the idea that her cousin was in danger and that she needed to hurry there. She didn't even have time to feel scared. She took out her wand and climbed the stairs towards the class.

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The room was dark and cold except for some moonlight that slipped inside through the glass widow tiles. Roxanne was scared but didn't want to show any fear. Her hands started to shake so she hid them behind her and did the only thing anyone would do if they had their wand was torn away from them and there was no way of escape: She tried to start a conversation to buy herself time. She pushed herself away from the wall and took a step towards Scorpius. Roxanne wondered why he wasn't talking or moving, he just stood in the doorframe, staring at her.

-"Hum, hello Scorpius", she risked. "Did you have a good day?" Only silence answered her. The girl could almost hear her heartbeat filling the room. Nevertheless, she continued on her track: "Did you finish the book you were reading? Isn't it excellent?" Again, only silence answered her. What the hell was exactly going on? She risked some steps towards the door and Scorpius still didn't move, maybe she could make it outside. Roxanne almost reached him when it all happened in a second. He crashed her against the wall and pointed the wand he just took away from her on her neck. Roxanne body started shivering as she thought that something was different in him though she couldn't figure out what. A yelp left her mouth as her back hurt her from the impact. Malfoy bent forward and with a murmur in her ear that froze the blood in her veins, he told her:" You don't have any right to judge me. You don't know me and you better stay away from me because next time… Oh wait, I don't give next times." His other hand started touching her ear and crawling down her neck. " _You_.." His fingers reached her shoulder, " _will_..", and slowly fell on her arm, " _get_..", his lip effloresced her ear as he whispered, " _what you deserve_..", he put his hand on her stomach and followed a new trail up, " _today_..", he finished with a breath. Some tears started to concentrate into Roxanne's eyes. She tried to push him but couldn't, he was by far stronger than her and she found herself glued to the wall, her body shaking but unable to move an inch. Roxanne shut her eyes and waited for the worst to come. As Malfoy's fingers were almost on her breasts, his movements froze. Roxanne risked opening one eye. At first, her tears blinded her but as she blinked she noticed a hair as red as hers. Immediately, she let out a breath of pure bliss. She was saved! Lily was there! Nothing bad would happen now…

Lily crashed the tip of her wand against the neck of Malfoy and whispered:

-"You let her go right now or I'll make sure you will forget how to speak for the rest of your life. "

Lily held in her other hand two wands, Roxanne's and Malfoy's. She had disarmed him with a silent spell and he didn't feel anything. He turned his head towards her and Lily hold a breath. His eyes, they were black! He slowly took his hands off her. Without waiting any longer, she petrified him and took Roxanne in her hands as his body crashed on the floor. The poor girl was trembling. She enveloped her in her cloak and went back to Scorpius' body and in a movement o pure anger, she hit him in the face with her fist. She stood up and without any final glance to the bloody boy on the ground, she left, taking his wand with her. Lily tried to calm her cousin and took her to the kitchens where the elves gave them hot chocolate and pastries. Roxanne's body stopped from shaking a bit so they decided to go back to the dorms. Some sleep would do her good.

As if the day couldn't go any worst, Lily, in her hurry, forgot to check the map. "Oh no.." was the only thing she could say when she saw the concierge turning around the corner, holding a wounded Malfoy in a hand and ordering the two girls to a halt…

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And here's a new chapter! It's quite long this time and you have to know how lazy I become when I have to read it again to correct any possible typing mistakes, so if you find one please tell me so I can correct it.

 **Another thing:** **What can I say to convince you to drop a simple review?** It really keeps me wanting to present perfect work and encourages me to stay hours in front of my laptop. So a single comment can work like magic. C'mooon guys, just tell me what you think or feel or whatever you want, just make me feel your presence! 3 3


	9. Not born yet

**A.N** **: I received information that a part of my fiction has been copied. I immediately reported it and it has been erased instantly. Therefore, all I can do is to ask you this: Pretending to own a work that you didn't sweat on is not only dishonest, it is also cruel. Please, do NOT copy or plagiarize. Thank you!**

 **Now, I'd like to thank all readers! Thank you for your love and patience, it really really really means the world to me!**

 **OOOOOOOOOOOO**

 **« If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun. »** Katherine Hepburn

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" When you live in a home full of contradictions, when you see light and darkness everywhere they should not be, you want to make a change. When your home is an only cell among a whole body of old mentalities and false principles, when even that cannot seem to be a big problem compared to the fact that no one but few notice the incredible conflict they live in, you aim to make a difference. You know that it is very hard to speak when everyone is against you or when they only listen to the part they want to listen to. It is exceptionable how from a full sentence, he or she can spontaneously pick the right tune for their ears with no will or care to even trying to understand what you truly mean. Isn't it hard for anyone to accomplish any development, that is the will to do so survives?" D.M.

 **OOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

James Sirius Potter had just finished his transfiguration homework and the best word to describe his state was: exhausted. He was sitting on the sofa right in front of the common room's chimney and has been yawning for a while like every hard labor's victim should do. After finishing the quidditch training, the only thing he wanted to do was to go to sleep, but he knew that today was his last chance. You see, he was supposed to deliver his homework the day before but he didn't because he didn't do it in time. However, by a Merlin's miracle, earlier in that day, he heard two ghosts whispering that the transfiguration professor has left the castle for the night, which left him the ultimate opportunity to sneak into his teacher's office and leave his parchment as if he gave it in time. James' plan was perfect except for one thing he didn't predict: he forgot to take his invisibility cloak and the marauder's map back from his sister and that left with an impossible mission to accomplish.

So there he was, fighting against sleep, waiting for Lil's to come back to the dorms. Except the fact that it was already an hour past curfew.

" _Alright James,_ " the black-haired boy told himself with another yawn, " _If in fifteen minutes she isn't back, we won't wait anymore."_

Every little while, James looked at his watch and was disappointed to notice that what he felt like a year passing was only one minute at maximum. After ten minutes of sitting and doing nothing, he had enough. He stood up, picked his parchment from the sofa and left the room from the hole into the wall.

"Young man," he heard the fat lady yell after him," It's late after curfew. You go back to sleep this instant!"

"Oh shut up, fat one! " James replied angrily, her screaming was going to bring him trouble!

He came down the stairs ignoring the shocked face on the painted woman and at the edge of the corridor, he looked left, then right and after making sure the way was clear, he tiptoed to the classroom that opened the way to the office.

" _Thank Dumbledore I've learned the map by heart but, if I ever come across a professor or that damn concierge, Lily, you're going to hear about me!"_

However, he managed to put his homework on the desk and he left the classroom. He closed the door and, with a happy dumb smile on his face, he took his way back to the Gryffindor tower. Immediately, James found out that every ounce of sleep has left his body. The other one who was going to hear about him was that cursed guarding angel of his. With a desperate chuckle, he raised his head to the sky, and even though only a roof came to a meeting he sighed:" **Could you not make it easy for once**?"

-"Don't worry young man, things are becoming far from easy now !"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

It was 10:30 pm when the three students watched Hogwarts concierge Argus Filch stand up from his desk and follow a Norris that has appeared in the doorframe, hissing. A thick silence immediately filled up the small room. Lily was sitting next to Roxanne in front on the desk and holding her cousin's hand in a comforting measure, ignoring the third person in the office. Scorpius, on the other hand, was standing and looking from the window. Well, it seemed like he was watching something in the dark alley outside but he was actually far away. His head hurt, his hands shook as he hid them into his robe's pocket and his nose was covered on blood. That with the fact that he lost his wand and didn't want to go asking for it, knowing that he'll be faced with refusal. When Filch asked them for their wands, the read-headed girl gave him two wands, hers and the one of the other read-headed but curly haired girl. Scorpius said he left it in the common room and after searching him, the concierge had to admit that the boy didn't have it with him.

The three of them thought at some point about leaving the office as if nothing had happened, but they were sure that Argus knew who they were as they were far from unknown.

Scorpius felt weird. He didn't understand how he had acted. Part of him was telling him that the girl deserved what she got. Another part was feeling that something was off and trying to convince him that the hatred he expressed was not his. But how can it be not his? Was he losing his mind? Was he haunted by a sort of a ghost? That can't be true, right?

How would he think if he knew that at the exact same time in the exact same place, Lily was asking herself the same question. During the way to the office, she kept focusing about the other one's eyes, and after a while, she accepted the fact that his eyes were pure grey. However, she was one billion percent sure that she haven't been dreaming. His eyes were really black back in the classroom. What if he was haunted by a sort of ghost? What if the boy was himself a victim of someone else? Nonetheless, she hated him after what he did to her cousin, and she didn't want her hypothesis to be true because in that case, she'll have to forgive the victim and that will never happen, not in a million years.

Lily couldn't stay put anymore, the tension in the class was way too thick that she could hold it her hands if she wanted tp. She stood up and started walking, studying the area around her.

Behind the desk in the room, there was a lot of drawers. On one of them was plastered "Trouble-makers files", and as usual, she couldn't resign herself from opening it. So, with a final glance towards the door, she scanned the files inside of it, they were arranged in alphabetical order. Instantly, she searched for her name, Potter. She couldn't believe her eyes when she discovered the file two inches thick! Lily curiously took it out and flipped it open. There was a whole part about her ancestors, starting from her great-grand parents and backwards, but it was nothing compared to what came afterwards. The biggest part was the one of her grand-father James Potter. His name was always meddled with Sirius Black and often with Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrow. Then, her father's diary and her brother's, James Sirius Potter, were competing for the second place. And there she came, standing in the fourth place. It wasn't that her brother was making the professor's life harder than she was, it was because she knew, better than him at least, how to no get caught. It was weird because James was the one possessing the invisibility cloak. In the final place came Albus, which had his own part of trouble. At that moment, Lily felt proud that her lineage was full of rebellious people; it should be the reason why she just couldn't keep herself from making trouble!

Luna was flipping her father's records when a name came across her eyes, the same name of that devil standing in the same room, Malfoy, Draco Malfoy. It was a story about a dragon or something. A dragon, yeah, why not? Was her dad and the Malfoy friends? Then she shook his head, no way, Malfoy and Potter don't come along, that's how it's been and that's how it'll always be. Curious, Lily kept her family's file in one hand and searched for the letter "M". She opened the Malfoy's file and started reading, searching for anything that would lead her to the answer; what was wrong with the Slytherin?

-"I didn't know that my family is that interesting to you, Gryffindor scum."

Lily almost jumped in her place, but she fought against the deep voice that startled her and didn't let any sign of surprise on her face. She didn't notice him moving and glancing back, she saw that Roxanne was resting her head on her hands that were on the desk. It has been ten minutes since the concierge has left. Closing the file and putting it back into its place quite violently, she answered:

-"Trying to understand the origins of your wicked filthy family has become one of my rights, after all, who knows when will "Sir" attack _my_ family again…", Lily declared, surprisingly calm.

-"She deserved it.", Scorpius answered, just because he was short of arguments.

-"As much as you deserved my fist?", the red-haired girl spitted, catching fire.

-"Give me back my wand." The Slytherin was tired. It was a rough day, so he chose to ignore her comment and, stopping a spontaneous move to rub his bloody nose, which hurt him like hell, he has just jumped to the topic.

-"Or else?", Luna arrogantly asked, raising her head a bit more and staring defiantly right into his grey-skied eyes, and there, just there, she thought she saw an ounce of… An ounce of what exactly, feelings? Any sign of him being a human being? As if his mask failed him for what seemed like a quarter of a second and just as fast, took back its rightful place. At that time, she felt proud of her height, it kept her on an equal base with her tall enemy, even if he still just a bit taller.

-"Or else, you too will get what you deserve.", he blatantly stated.

-"And with what wand will you do so, "Sir"?", she said mockingly?

-"Oh, I don't need a wand, "Miss". Besides, it's as easy as a flick of an eye for me to order another one, don't you think? But it's this one I prefer, so don't make me say it again. You. Give. Me. My. Wand." Scorpius took a step forward with every word he said. He wanted to scare her and, found himself smelling her perfume, the distance between them far too short. He chased the idea of her nice smell from his head and delivered all the fury he felt in his eyes.

However, things did not go as planned as, daringly, Lily too took a step forward and simply declared:

-"The one who'll be able to scare me has not been born yet." Hatred was filling every corner of the small room and if glares could kill, both of them would be already dead.

" _Well well…_ _If our two lovebirds would get away from each other, we could start the party."_

The two enemies jumped. They turned towards the door at the same time and were affronted with a sadistic Flinch and a fuming James.

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-"Lovebirds." James mocked. "What a joke, Mr. Flinch. "Don't you see that if we didn't come in right now, we'd have found at least one dead body in this room. As for me, it seems only fair that those who don't give back what they _borrowed_ should be chastised, don't you think, Miss Potter?"

Lily ignored him.

-"Everyone take a seat, and wake up that snoring chicken!"

Scoffing, James took his seat soon joined by the others, as Roxanne woke up on her own with all the noise suddenly surrounding her.

-"What should I do with these troubling bad herbs?", the concierge mumbled to himself.

"Oh", James asked, wearing an innocence mask. "Don't worry, old friend, we've know each other for seven years, of course I'll help you cut them off! There's no need to ask! Besides, what's better than a nice an clean garden,…" the seventh-year boy took out and old watch dangling from a gold chain from his pocket and started balancing it in front of the old man's eyes. "filled with beautiful roses and dahlias and hum, lilies…", his voice got soft and calm as he hypnotized him, "…,where butterflies float and perfumes entrance your mind in a nice and cozy sleep, sleep, sleep…" It just worked as magic. Flinch's face fell on the table as he started sleeping.

-"Go on Lil's, you're the best at memory enchatments. Do your job, quick!", James whispered, hiding his watch back into his pocket and standing up, passing a hand through his hair.

-"You mad? You enchanted a professor, we could be expelled for that."

-"That's why you have to erase every memory of his including us in his evening. Come on Lily, do it before he wakes up!"

-"B.. But, I don't have my wand, he took it! "Lily whispered. "Wait, it's in his pocket." She silently took out hers and her cousin's wand, then with no more wasting time, pointed it towards the concierge, and whispered " _Obliviate"._

Then silently, the four of them left the office, leaving a snoring Flinch who'll have a huge bump the next day behind them.

OOOOOOOOO

Lily couldn't stop herself from laughing. She erased the memories of a Hogwarts' staff member! That was a first!

-"Shh.. You'll get us caught!", her brother whispered as they made their way out of the office. However, she quickly noticed something strange. Someone was not welcome among them.

-"Oh wait, no way you're coming with us, Slytherin", she spitted as if being a Slytherin was the worst offend on earth. "You go back there, there's no way of me doing you a favor!"

-"Believe me", Scorpius quietly announced as he took his way towards the dungeons, "I'm the one doing you favors with not denouncing what you've just did."

-"What a bag of dirt, one day I'll kill him, no wait, I'll torture him until he begs me to kill him, mark my words!"

-"Shht! Hypnotizing won't work twice. If you get us caught again, I'm the one killing you." Her brother threatened, while walking after the steps of the Malfoy.

-"Where are you going? Our dorms are on the opposite side!"

-"Don't you think it's wiser to make sure he reaches the dungeons safely and that way, making sure he doesn't tell anyone about what have just happened?", he said focused on the marauder's map he just got back from his little sister.

-"I'm exhausted, I want to sleep. And Roxanne too."

-"You'll be more tired if you pass a second hour in another office. But you're free of your will. Go on, if you want, no one's keeping you, go on!"

With a single glance to the dark cold corridor behind her, Lily took Roxanne's hand and run after her brother declaring with a sigh: "I've changed my mind. I'll be killing you first."

OOOOOOOOOOO

The three of them were silently following the tall silhouette marching two meters in front of them. The trip to the dungeons went with no difficulties. Without any final glance, the trio took the way back to their tower. James asked his sister about the matter of the two younger people's fight earlier and she told him everything, even though she didn't understand why he had attacked their cousin. Roxanne then admitted that she tried talking to him earlier in the day, which would normally get her a good scolding from her cousins if they didn't see the state she was already in. However, they reached their dorms and wished themselves a good night then went to sleep, already erasing memories of a bad day, or trying.

That's how the whole castle was to be sleeping at midnight. The whole castle except for a fifth year Slytherin student that felt it was nice to not, for once, go back to his dormitory all alone.

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Tadaaa! Guess who's back folks! This is the longest chapter so far, hope you'll enjoy it! xD


	10. Subconsciously conscious

Underneath

I love wearing black…

It transforms me

Into a colorful string

Linked to the universe.

A faraway constellation~

Covered in the purest hue of night.

 _-Clairel Estevez_

… _._

Rose Weasley was bored. It was Friday morning on the first week of her fifth year at Hogwarts and since she had put her feet in the castle for the first time, never a week have felt so long. She had already finished all her homework for the week and if people always told her she was as passionate about school as her mother, she, on the contrary, knew the truth; she only leaves nothing for tomorrow because she knows that sooner or later, she'll have to do what their teachers ask them to do. So, if there's no running from it, wasn't it better to do it at ease than to stress herself out in the last minute? Besides, she took care of her education and wanted to get to her maximum potential, and if there was no running from always being compared to her mother, her route was assured to be long.

However, right then, she was bored. With a final glance to her looks in the mirror, Rose let out a sigh as she put a lock of hair back into place and left the girl's bathroom. It was 8:30 and all fifth year Hogwarts students had a Muggle Studies session that day from 9 am to 10:30. After the war, the ministry of magic made it official that all wizards should study the muggle's way of living; it has become crucial to know about muggles as the wizarding community gets each day more and more confronted to them. In addition, muggles' technology was fascinating and understanding it would develop the wizarding world and open up new fields that were unknown by them until then. That's how muggle studies have become no more facultative but an obligation.

Rose decided to go back to the Great Hall. If she was this bored, a fresh and juicy apple would only improve her day. What's better than food in lifting up the spirits? She was walking through the corridors and looking out of the windows whenever she had the occasion. Outside, the sky was crystal clear except for some arrogant white clouds that dared to show up in that day of September, confident that they 'd soon be joined by other clouds. Another banal day.

Sometimes she envied her parents. At least they had some action during their scholarship and even if it was very hard and they had lost many dear souls, their life was at a very young age glorious afterwards and will forever be written in History books. That, it was something she wanted to accomplish: being remembered by humanity after her death. She wanted to achieve glory. Not in a way Voldemort wanted, no, she wasn't cruel, but in a way that wizards -and why not muggles- would appreciate a work she'd done.

" _What about a new discovery, hein Rose? What about we come out with something that would revolutionize the world? The problem is that magic does it all. So the minister was right; the future lays in muggles. However, they don't teach us much in the fifth year. We're stuck with simple facts about discovering the names of muggle objects that I already know and not actually understanding how they work. Uh, I'm bored. Sometimes I wish I was stupid, that way I won't hurt my head thinking about things others with my age don't and actually enjoy living…"_

Rose was lost in her thoughts as she was walking when, suddenly, she went into something stiff, or rather someone and fell on her butt.

" _Ouch, that hurt!"_ , she told herself, then she left her head and actually yelled:" Is it really that hard to watch where you're going?!"

She found herself confronted with two sapphire blue eyes that looked apologetically to her. With a peak to his uniform, she knew he was a Ravenclaw. His black hair was quite long and messy, he had a two days light beard and his tie was lose. Rose resumed from his physical portrait and the way he looked at her that the boy was a bit rebellious but kind. She guessed that he was in his sixth or fifth year, but it was the first time she ever saw him.

-"Oh I'm sorry, didn't see you coming. I've just woken up and I only have fifteen minutes until 9 and I'm really hungry so I was running and trying to do my tie at the same time and …"

-"Stop, stop. I get it, you're sorry…", Rose calmed him down while taking the hand he gave her and standing up.

Rose was bored, it had been that way for too long. Now, she thought she had found a way to pass time. Why didn't she have a little bit of fun and try to court him? Besides he was handsome and should be smart since he was wearing the blue and bronze uniform. Therefore, the best way to make someone like you is to make him laugh, and that's how the Granger-Weasley girl declared with a controlled voice and a mysterious smile while restarting to walk towards the Great Hall:

-"Your apology will only be accepted if you tell me your name…"

-"Uh… Hum…", the boy's face got a bit red, "Yes, you're right, didn't tell you my name, should be the first thing to do, right? Well, I'm Alexander, but you can call me Alex. Alexander is a bit antic, don't you think?"

-"Alexander,…" Rose replied while quickly blinking her eyes once in a perfectly controlled manner and with a light but charming laugh, she continued, "like the great conqueror Alexander? Well, if you find it antic, you should feel blessed that your parents didn't call you Caesar or Napoleon!"

For a second, she got worried that he wouldn't know the muggle conquerors she was talking about and that her joke wouldn't pass on, but, for her pleasant surprise, he exclaimed laughing while mumbling, "still better than Hitler!" All right, now he got her respect. Isn't it the house's best motto: " _Wit beyond measure is Man's Greatest Treasure_ "? As they almost arrived to their destination, Rose declared:

-"Well, nice to meet you Alexander. I'm …"

-"Oh I know who you are, doesn't all Hogwarts do? Especially us, the fifth year's Ravenclaws, we always ask ourselves how you're in Gryffindor and not among us, you know?"

She knew then that he was a fifth year. It was strange how she never remarked him before, maybe meeting him exactly today was in fact a prank or a bet he prepared with his friends? Then, if she was only talking to him because she was bored, she couldn't blame him either, there's no problem in him having fun too, right?

-"Then I'm not the only one thinking that the Sorting Hat should've made a mistake? "In my not so humble opinion", I really don't see myself acting on impulse to a danger without giving it a thought first, which my stupid brainless cousins don't understand", Rose said as she thought of those cousins that she loved but never failed to tell them that she, indeed, found them brainless whenever they acted that way. And isn't reacting on impulse one of the main traits that make you a Gryffindor?"

-"That make _you_ a Gryffindor, not me", Alex pointed out with a laugh. "Then, I think that this sorting method is someway wrong; don't we all possess the four traits that make you belong to one house and not another?"

Rose took a peak at her watch and announced:

"-I would be happy to continue this conversation with you Mr. Alexander but you really have to hurry if you want to make it in time."

-"Yeah, right, I totally forgot about that. Well, hum, goodbye then, see you later maybe!"

-"Bye!", she replied with a little wave of her hand as he made his way towards his house's table.

As she picked a green apple from her table and headed back for the door, she had enough time to see that Alex's friends who were sitting with him were pointing at her and laughing.

" _Exactly as I thought, this is only a bet…",_ she mentally sighed ignoring the little tweak she felt in her stomach.

… _.._

 _OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_

Lily and Roxanne were sitting on a bench in the little yard in front of the Muggle studies' classroom. They had half an hour before the beginning of the class.

-"I can't do this Lily, I really can't be in the same place with him. As soon as I see him, my hands start shaking and my mind goes blank. He scares me Lily, and my strength fails me whenever I see him. So please, just let me go back to the dorms…"

Roxanne was trying to hold her tears as her cousin tried to comfort her:

-"You don't want to let him win Roxy, you're stronger than that. Besides, I got his wand and he can do nothing without it."

-"You're kidding right? You saw what he did against the Slytherins that day; He's using Dark Magic, dark magic!" Roxanne took her head in her hands as she started sobbing, her cries growing stronger as she whispered:

-"You better give him back his wand, I really don't want anything bad to happen to you… Screw me, screw me and the ounce of pity I felt for him! He's an abuser Lily! Only Merlin knows what could happen to me if you didn't come!"

-"But nothing happened Roxanne, nothing! Come on, you know how strong you are. You're not letting someone as shitty as he is make you doubt that. You know what? Let's go see Mcgonagall, she'll know what to do!"

-"You mad?! And with what proof will we do that? We have no evidence, none at all! Besides, the whole school would hear about this, you know how her office is full of portraits and won't let go of any information including us, I don't want to be the one who everyone avoids scared to anger that Devil! No, we won't tell anyone about his, I already told James to keep quiet. I don't know, just let me get those tears off, I'll calm down after a bit of crying. Just stay with me for now…"

-"See? I told you; you are so strong Roxy. Don't worry, I'm here with you, I'll never leave you."

Lily put her cousin's head on her shoulder and kept passing her hand through her hair. Slowly, her friend's crying got lower and after a few minutes, stopped completely.

-"Come on Roxy, take a deep breath, it's okay. " She looked at her watch and said:

-"Are you ready to go? It's time. Don't worry, I'm here with you. That bastard won't step anywhere near us."

With a nod, Roxanne wiped her last tears and stood up, taking Lily's hand, and together, they made their way towards the class. They entered when the Professor Nadini Johas told them to. The room was expanded for the matter and the whole fifth year students made their way in. Lily chose a two-places desk in the last row next to the wall; like that, they'll be able to keep an eye on their enemy who, as soon as he came in, opted for the last row as well, but next to the exact opposite wall. There they were, and there they'll be for the next one hour and a half.

…

OOOOOOOOOOOO

"Hello class. Like you all know, this is the first session of the year and allow me to tell you this: Studying the way muggles live, the way they think and how they invent has become a fundamental subject for us all, as they found a way to replace the magic they don't have by something more magical than we've ever expected. Us, wizards, have come to count on magic in almost everything, however, the instant we lose our tool, the moment we forget our wand or lose it, the only thing we can do if we want to survive is to, _subconsciously_ , act like the way a muggle would do, like a _human_ would do. If you're focused enough with what I'm saying – which is not your case Miss Parkinson! – You'd notice I mentioned the word "subconscious". That, my friends, is the most magical entity that ever existed, as all human being share it, wizards and muggles. Can anyone enlighten us about this "subconscious"?

A deep silence followed her question. All Professor Nadini could see was students running away from her gaze, looking everywhere else but at her. Then, she turned her head to the left of the class and met a bored gaze. Hopeful, she asked:

-"Miss Granger-Weasley, I'm sure you can tell us the answer. Go on, please."

Sighing, Rose stood up as she could swear she heard her cousins laughing at her in her back. It was true she had brains, but that didn't mean she'd die if she didn't answer!

With a second sigh, she declared:

-"The word subconscious can be divided into two words: sub and conscious which means under the conscious. The subconscious is existing or operating in the mind beneath or beyond consciousness; it is the part of the mind below the level of conscious perception. For example, we call our fear of death subconscious as it is not an active fear. The concept is analyzed by a famous muggle psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud."

Pleased, Professor Johas continued while Rose sat downback on her seat:

-"Brilliant Miss Granger-Weasley, ten points for Gryffindor! As Miss Granger said all too well, the famed psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud believed that behavior and personality were derived from the constant and unique interaction of conflicting psychological forces that operate at three different levels of awareness: the preconscious, the conscious, and the subconscious."

As she enumerated the three terms, and with a flick of her wand, three definitions got written on the black board.

-"Would anyone like to read the first definition?" When she asked, three students raised their hands.

-"Mr. Mcartney, go on."

Peter Mcartey, sitting next to Albus, started reading:

[-" **The conscious mind** contains all of the thoughts, memories, feelings, and wishes of which we are aware at any given moment. This is the aspect of our mental processing that we can think and talk about rationally. A part of this includes our memory, which is not always part of consciousness but can be retrieved easily at any time and brought into our awareness."

-"Very well, Mr. Mcartney, five points for Gryffindor. Other Houses, you don't want Gryffindor to win this year ay?" The enthusiasm in the class was gradually raising." Who wants to read the second definition? Yes, M. Istadore."

Rose was surprised to hear that M. Istadore was no one else but Alex. _"Alexander Istadore, what a name... Isn't that a name of a real conqueror! If not, an almighty knight or perhaps a prince! Stop Rose, focus!"_

 _-"_ **The preconscious** consists of anything that could potentially be brought into the conscious mind _."_

-"Good, five points to Ravenclaw! Now the third one, why don't we pick a Slytherin this time?"

A common "bouuuh" filled the class in one second.

-"No one? Okay, I'll choose then. Hum, what about you Mr. Malfoy?"

If there was any sound in the class, after selecting Scorpius, everyone went so quiet that if you focus enough, you'll hear a fly buzzing. Scorpius ignored the class, as usual, and said with the deep voice of his:

-" **The subconscious mind** is a reservoir of feelings, thoughts, urges, and memories that outside of our conscious awareness. Most of the contents of the unconscious are unacceptable or unpleasant, such as feelings of pain, anxiety, or conflict. According to Freud, the unconscious continues to influence our behavior and experience, even though we are unaware of these underlying influences. The unconscious can include repressed feelings, hidden memories, habits, thoughts, desires, and reactions."

-"Excellent Mr. Malfoy. Five points to Slytherin as well!"

Roxanne felt uneasy, when she heard his voice, her hands started shaking. Under the concerned look of her cousin, she quickly whispered:

-"Lily, I'm not feeling well, I think I'm going to vomit."

-"Try to keep up for just a little bit longer. We're almost done."

-"Now, let me ask you this, What exactly happens at each level of awareness? One way to understand how the conscious and subconscious mind operate is to look at what are known as slips of the tongue that many of us have experienced at some point or another. These misstatements are believed to reveal underlying, unconscious thoughts or feelings. Many of us might blame the slip on distraction or describe it as a simple accident. However, a Freudian analyst might tell you that this is much more than a random slip of the tongue. Freud believed that while the unconscious mind is largely inaccessible, the contents of the unconscious could sometimes bubble up in unexpected ways such as in dreams or inadvertent slips of the tongue."]

The professor took a paused to see the effect of her information on her students; they were calm and for most of them quite focused.

-"We studied last time about the different scientific fields that muggles work on and we talked about psychology. Who'd like to come here to remind us about psychology and write it on the board?"

A Hufflepuff girl raised her hand and after the professor's approbation, she went to the board and wrote while reading:

-"Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and its functions, the mental characteristics or attitude, especially those affecting behavior in a given context."

-"Brilliant! Ten points to Hufflepuff.

You may be wondering why I suddenly asked you about psychology, isn't it clear? Freud explains one's psychology which, like we said, studies the mental state, with his three different levels of mind. From tongue slips and dreams to body language, Psychoanalytic therapy explores and treats the mental illness and psychological distress. And these, my friends, are harder to cure than normal body distress, it takes patience, qualified psychologist who can go back to the source of the distress and cure it. Now, there is a problem in our world as wizards that immediately occurs. Can anyone tell me about it?"

This time, Rose was glad to raise her hands, as the entire class was quiet.

-" Most of wizards don't know that psychology concerns every human being, we all have what Freud calls subconscious, conscious and preconscious no matter if we are a wizard or a muggle. With the lack of the wizarding world in understanding it and therefore curing it, many wizards suffer from mental illnesses that can be really destructive sometimes without them or their entourage realizing it and thinking about going for therapy."

-"Exactly! Fifteen points to Gryffindor. Now, I'll leave you some time to copy what's on the board and for next time, I'll ask you for twenty cm of parchment about the most known mental illnesses. What are you waiting for? Start writing!"

….

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The three girls were heading towards the Great Hall for lunch.

-"The first session today was interesting, wasn't it?" Rose asked her two cousins.

-"We could say so…" Lily answered, more concerned about Roxanne than any Muggle Studies. "Roxy, today's meal is your best: steak and fries!"

-"Well, I don't have much of an appetite…"

-"Wait, Roxanne and no appetite can't be put in a same sentence", Rose noticed. "Are you sure you're all right?"

When no one of the two girls answered her, she knew something was really off and being the best friends they were, Lily, after a brief silent exchange between her and Roxanne, told their chestnut-haired friend about everything.

-"This is unacceptable!", Rose yelled immediately. "We can't stay silent about this and let it slide. If you don't want to tell the professors Roxanne, we'll move on our own then!"

-"Exactly!" Lily exclaimed, "This is what I've been thinking. No one hurts a Gryffindor without hearing from us!"

-"What do you want to do then?", Roxanne weakly mumbled.

-"Oh, leave it for us. Rosey, James knows about this, he'll help us prepare a plan."

-"Yes, count on us, we'll avenge you in a way that Devil won't ever think about touching you again."

-"All right, I leave it for you. Thanks a lot girls, I don't know what I would do without you!"

-"There's no need to thank us, you'd do the same." ,Rose replied with a smile.

-"Now,", Lily concluded," enough of this talk, there's some beef waiting for us to be devoured!"

…

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

" _Dear Ryleigh,_

 _How are you son? The professors are sinking you under homework, aren't they? Well, you should know that it's for the best, even if they can become crazy sometimes – you better not repeat that word in front of them- and I trust you'll do your best to prepare yourself for your O.W.L.S._

 _At home, nothing special had happened. Everything is as usual, work, family matters, no big thing can change in a week, you know? Ah, your mother is telling me to remind you to eat well and put enough clothes on, winter is coming, she says._

 _Now, the matter you told me about: I went to visit Draco this week and when I mentioned his son, he said nothing out of normal and he didn't act in any suspicious way possible. Let me tell you this, during all our scholarship together, I've never noticed anything about eye color changing or a thing like that, are you sure you saw it right? Or maybe he's using a spell to make his eyes look darker?_

 _I don't know, but really, he's not a bad person. I already told you this before but let me repeat it for you: why don't you try getting closer to him or, why don't you ask him directly about his eyes? When I visited the Malfoy family during summer, Scorpius looked nothing but sad. He's not a bad kid, he's just lonely. Promise me you'll try knowing him, all right?_

 _That's it then. Don't forget to tell me if there's anything troubling you or if you need something._

 _We love you._

 _Dad._

 _Ps: "Why did you write to him and not to me? This isn't fair, I'm your mother!"_

-"Incendio!"

Zabini burnt the letter immediately after finishing reading it. He didn't want the other freak finding it. Getting close to him, yes, that's exactly what he needed! If his dad saw how dangerous that _scorpion_ was, he'd order him to get the farther away from him, and quickly. No, he didn't want to. His thoughts went back to the two times when he noticed that his eyes were pure black. No, he wasn't hallucinating. Something was wrong. But why was he caring exactly? Maybe, after all, he got contaminated with his father's kindness. Nonetheless, the fact was there: He just wanted to know the truth and maybe, just maybe, he'll ask Scorpius about it someday.

….

OOOOOOOOOOO

It was five in the afternoon on that Friday. Lily was heading back to her dorms to get her quidditch uniform; they had a training in half an hour. She was humming a soft tune under the warm light that came through the windows when suddenly, she felt her back smash on a wall.

-"Give me my wand, Potter."

-"Or else?", Lily replied arrogantly. She gripped her wand in her pocket and waited. Meanwhile, Scorpius put his forearm on her neck and repeated:

-"Give. Me. My. Wand.", he dangerously whispered.

Luna thanked her aunt Hermione for the self-defense actions she taught her. With a press of her back on the wall, she gained enough force to put her hands on his forearm and push it off, then she took two steps away from the wall and from him and disdainfully mocked:

-"You're quite violent, don't you think? I'm humbly sorry, but politics don't work that way, so let's parley. "

Scorpius was surprised. Usually, people were scared from him and would give him anything he wanted but this, this girl talking to him with no ounce of fear, it was a first. The boy wasn't willing to actually hurt her, he just wanted to scare her and he really didn't want to have to buy another wand. So he surprisingly found himself asking:

-" Parley?"

-"Yes, parley. You want your wand right?"

-"Right."

-"But you hurt my friend?"

-"I don't remember hurting anyone.", he stated.

-"Excuse me? Are you taking me for a fool?", Lily shouted out raising her brows.

-"I'm not, I didn't hurt anyone. All I know is that you punched me then took my wand, a punch I'm willing to return if you don't give it back to me this instant!"

Lily didn't find anything to respond. She just stood there, dumbfounded, looking at the merely taller boy searching for any sign of him joking, but his grey eyes was extremely sincere.

-"I don't have it.", she finally said.

-"What?"

-"I don't have it.", Lily repeated." I'm not dumb enough to circulate with it in my pocket where it's easy for you to find. It's hidden and you _did_ hurt my friend. Now, you have a debt to pay. You'll get your wand back when that debt is payed."

With those final words, Luna turned her back on him and continued her way to the dormitories, leaving a dumbfounded wizard behind her, telling himself :" _That witch is bluffing, I never hurt anyone! What is she talking about anyway?"_

Could he know that Lily was asking herself questions at the same time? :" _What a liar_ ," she was repeating to herself. " _What a goddamn liar! He almost raped my Roxy and he's acting like nothing ever happened! Oh, I'm going to show him what he gets when he dares to hurt a Gryffindor!"_

….

OOOOOOOOOOO

-"Lily, you're late!"

Her face red from running, Lily answered:

-"I'm sorry James, some idiot bothered me on my way. I'll change very quickly you won't even feel like I left and came back!"

-"Stop bluffing and hurry up!"

Lily run towards the changing room, whispering:

-"He can be really scary sometimes!"

OOOOOOOOOO

As Lily Luna was leaving the changing room after the training, she saw her brother's silhouette in front of her heading back to the castle and run to catch up with him.

-"Lil's!" James yelled with appearing enthusiasm as soon as he remarked her, "You did great today! You play like that on the match next Saturday and I won't even need to catch the Golden Snitch; you'll get us two hundred points anyway!"

-"Thanks James, that's good to hear." She marked a pause, warm air getting out her nose and making a white mist in front of her.

-"I wanted to tell you something, you know, about what happened to Roxanne that night. She doesn't want to tell the professors, all right, that's her choice, but we won't let it slip, aren't we? We need to do something!"

-"I'm one hundred percent okay with you, no one hurts my family without dealing with the consequences. Who's with us?"

-"Roxy doesn't want many people to know, she says that'll bring her trouble. There's you, Rose and me. We tell Albus and you Fred, like that we'll be sure no one tells the secret."

-"Okay Lil's. Meanwhile, you think of something that could serve him as a lesson, and we'll do too." As they almost reached the Gryffindor tower, James added:" We'll meet Sunday in the Three Broomsticks at 4 pm to discuss what we got, deal?"

Lily told the fat Lady the password and answered: "Deal!"

The two siblings wished themselves a good night as Lily quickly climbed the stairs to her dorm and told Rose, whom she found reading a novel, about everything. She headed back down and went for a shower. Afterwards, she put on her pajamas and stretched her back, wished her dorm comrades a good night and fan out on her bed, her mind working. Yes, she had the perfect plan for that Devil!

OOOOOOOOOOO

….

A.N: **The definitions written between […] are taken from this website:**

 **the-conscious-and-unconscious-mind-2795946**

Now, let's talk about us, what do you think so far? I really worked hard on this one, ay ?(I've been watching the whole Pirates of the Caribbean series again, I think this "ay" thing should last for a while! xD) Did anyone notice the "winter is coming"? Haha * _wink_ * , aaaand tadaaam: 4767 words, that's my record! Now, your turn:

-What do you think about Lily's character? Do you like it?

\- Give me your ideas about the plan, maybe it would coincide with mine! * _another wink_ *

-Scorpius, did you get the clues about his state?

I'd like to hear from you, don't hesitate dear friends!


	11. Unhuman Angel

-"Hey! Where are you going? "

-"Nowhere Roxy", Rose answered briefly, "I forgot my book in the library and I'm going back to get it." She turned back to get through the fat-lady portrait but Roxanne's hand made her stop.

-"Do you really think that I'm that dumb? First, there's Lily that leaves without any valid explanation. Then James follows with Albus, leaving Fred behind, when normally James never does that. And guess what? Fred doesn't even contest. Moreover, like a good boy, he goes after them silently? Now, you're the one making excuses! It's quarter an hour before curfew on a cold Wednesday night, so, I'm telling you this one more time: Where. Are. You. Going? "

-"Hum… When did you become so observative? Dear Merlin, they're going to kill me for this, but did I ask them to be this predictable? Okay, stop glaring at me, put on your cloak and let's go. I'll tell you everything on our road."

That's how, walking down the corridor to the main portal, Rose told Roxanne about how they made a plan to avenge her for what the _scorpion_ did.

-"What? But this is insane! Did I ask you to do this? Why didn't you consider my opinion first! "Roxy whispered angrily, stopping in her track.

-"Because we knew that this would be your reaction!" Rose replied patiently, with a calm rational voice. She took a step towards her cousin and friend, and put an affectionate hand on her shoulder. "You are too kind Roxy. Don't get me wrong, we don't want you to change for anything in the world, but no one, no one! Touches our family and doesn't hear from us. Even Lord Voldemort himself didn't escape from this rule!"

Sighing, Roxanne stated:

-"I knew that you're going to play that Voldemort card! That's 2000 points for you, 0 for me… All right… I'm the one who insisted on coming, I should take full responsibility, shouldn't I?"

-"Yes! That's the spirit! Come on then, let's go. There are five minutes left until curfew, but let me insist one more time: You will take position with me, and under no circumstance, you will make noise. James confirmed that he knew the part of the forbidden forest, where the action will take place, very well. There is no need to worry. Everything is well planned and only meant to scare him a bit. Simple and effective."

They both took place behind a wild tree, at the bay of the entrance of the forest, sufficiently away from view from the castle but not too deep into the dark.

-"Okay! Stop your lecture already, I'm not a fool!"

-"Of course you're not, I'm just making things clear. The others have already taken their places. SHhh… There he comes! "

...

Scorpius read the letter one more time, not believing his eyes before tossing it into the closest garbage bin. This was non-sense. Why would he go, unarmed, to the forbidden forest, all alone, in the dark, to a place where he knew he would only find enemies, to get his wand back? Hum… Maybe because he needed that wand? Or knowing that getting it back would avoid him several questions from his father if he mailed him to get another one? There's a third option: It could be because he grew sick of not practicing during classes and making up excuses? Yes… All that added to the fact that he missed his wand. All right. He made his choice. Then Wednesday night will do. Scorpius knew many charms he could cast without his wand, in case it would turn out as a treachery. And that's how, one minute before the curfew, he put on his cloak and left his dorm, ignored from his house mates, as usual, and made his way to the forbidden forest.

...

The castle was dark and the fire that usually roared in its torches was slowly, but certainly, fading away. Only some moonbeams made their ways, firstly through grey light clouds, then through the thick windows of the castle. It was one of those chilling nights in the beginning of autumn, when it was nice to cuddle on a sofa with friends in front of a huge fire, playing cards, laughing, happy… But there he was, corridors' carpets shuffling his wild steps' noise, walking as silently as a shadow, until he reached the main doors of the castle, opened them and left through the tight opening he made. Scorpius was used to these kinds of night escapades. If he wasn't, well, himself, it could've been a nice romantic trip and someone could've been waiting for him for a nice time in a private section. But no, he was Scorpius Malfoy, and that girl towards who he was marching was far from his favorite company.

-"Stop thinking nonsense Scorpius and get your mind together. We go there, get our wand, go back to the castle, end of story, goodbye, the end."

He was far from stupid and knew that if it would be that easy, it wouldn't be in that place at that time. He didn't have any other choice, did he?

With his large steps, Scorpius reached the place the letter indicated rather quickly. He took a final step and looked around him. It was empty. No creature could be seen. Scorpius checked his watch, he was late only with three minutes. Maybe that "Potter one" was late too? He decided to check the little grassland where he was, surrounded by the enormous antic trees, just in case; it was always better to know your surroundings first if you want to have the upper hand in every duel. That's how Scorpius walked a few steps in front of him, taking every information in, and that's when his eyes grew wild open! There was a dead body laid in front of him! He took a step towards the corpse, his heart beating furiously, his breath jerking, to check the person's identity. Scorpius was scared but he kept moving until he noticed something weird, he knew that long brown thick hair. "Mother…No… No!" He screamed furiously, his mind fogging and eyesight blurring. He run towards her and let himself fall on his knees next to her, sobbing; it was his mother! His mother was dead! Her eyes were wild open, empty, cold. Her body was blueish! Scorpius took his mother in his hands, shook with violent spasms. He knew that she was sick, in fact, she was fighting sickness since he was a kid, but no one told him that she was gone! And why was her corpse tossed so disrespectfully into some random woods. It was wrong, everything was wrong. What felt like seconds passed, minutes, hours maybe, and he didn't move an inch. He was sitting on his knees, sobbing, tears streaming as he never cried before. Then something strange started to happen.

In his hands, his mother's figure started to change. Its shoulders grew larger, its face's skin grew lighter, covered in a strictly shaved black beard, and it began to move! Scorpius was shocked. The Slytherin dropped the body and on his knees, got the farther away from the man. In front of him, stood now his childhood teacher, with his long wood bat in his left hand and his wand in his right one. The man was grinning in something meant to be a smile, but it wasn't. His eyes were burning from evil. For any outside watcher, he would seem like a normal man with a weird face. But Scorpius knew better... There, on that cold night of the second week of September, during that Wednesday, in that part of the forbidden forest, he was no longer the famous Hogwarts student that everyone hated and feared. No… There, he went back to being that five-year-old boy who made a mistake and who was afraid of the punishment he was going to receive from his teacher, whom asked him with that particular sharp, silken voice:

-"Tell me Little Scorpius, what you did… Tell me, tell your teacher who knows the best for you, was is right or wrong?"

Scorpius felt the air leaving his lungs, and on his knees, choking, he whispered:

-"Wrong…"

-"Now, when someone does something wrong,…" The teacher walked closer to him, making the devil's grin, his eyes burning with wickedness, "Should them be praised or punished?"

-"P… Pun… Punished…"

-"Correct! I have one more question for you, foolish boy; After the punishment, should that person learn from his lesson and take it like a man, or should they run for their parent like a little babe?"

Closing his now black eyes, the five-year-old Scorpius in his grown up body, answered, ready to receive his well-deserved punishment.

-"Take it like a brave man and keep it to himself…"

-"That's right! What a good boy you are, Little Scorpius. Now get up and turn around, quickly!"

Scorpius felt like vomiting, but he knew that he wanted to be a man, a Malfoy. While he tried to stand up with his feet that were failing him, his professor got closer to him, put his bat down and with a barely perceptible move, started to raise his hand to unzip his trousers. Sobbing, but ready to take that fatal action he deserved, Scorpius didn't notice a red haired girl get away from behind a nearby tree and shout:

-"That's enough! _Riddikulus_! _Riddikulus_! _Riddikulus_!" Immediately, the teacher disappeared and in its place, only darkness followed. Everyone got out from his or her hidings with bitter serious face. Roxanne's eyes were wet from crying, her wand in her hand, and everyone else was exchanging regretful looks with the others. Scorpius, on the other hand, wasn't aware of anything. Then he noticed people standing around him, and with survival instincts rushing inside him, he quickly stood up, completely, and before anyone could catch him, he took off and started running into the depths of the forest. He wasn't conscious, all he knew was how to run and how to escape from the hell he was in. His mind was paralyzed and breaths uneasy. He run, run until his feet couldn't take his weight anymore. That's when, only then, he came to stop and, with heavy breaths, fatally punched a nearby tree. Scorpius let down a loud animalistic scream, he was wild, furious. He wanted to hurt someone. But he was all alone. So he chose to hurt himself instead and got back to punching his fist on the tree until he couldn't feel the pain anymore. Desperately, he then let his body fall on the grass and silently, let his tears flow to their freedom.

...

No one spoke a world. All they did was stand there, looking at each other, until James broke the silence:

-"Can anyone explain to me what exactly just happened here?"

-"What happened? What happened James? "Roxanne took a furious step towards him, yelling, her face as red as her hair. "I'll tell you what happened: You organized this plan, responding to evil with evil! You didn't even ask my permission for this, yet here I am, because Rose told me that it'd only scare him a bit. Is this what you call a bit? He saw his mother's dead body, then there's that cruel man who seems to be his childhood professor or whatever! And you know what? No one of you dared to move an inch to stop it, no one!"

-"We couldn't know that the boggart would turn into those two, stop yelling at us! I was in shock, I couldn't move to stop it either, okay? "James answered angrily. "But that slytherin, he harmed my family, and I had to strike back, either you like it not!"

-"Unbelievable!" Roxanne shouted, raising her hands in disbelief. "Didn't you see what just happened? This boy has a dark past, he was raised in a cold family, a cruel man was his teacher, if I didn't stop the boggart, who knows what we would have witnessed! Everyone at Hogwarts mistreats him, so he only knows how to mistreat them back, because that's what he learned to do all his life! And that's the reason why I tried to approach him that day, I wanted to help him… He is the victim, not the assaulter. I knew it and I wanted to talk to him but he misread my approach and attacked me back… That's why I didn't want to tell the professors about it but told you instead, only to get the fear off my shoulders, because I was scared, indeed, but not to the point to plan this Machiavellian scheme! Do you get it now?" She sighed and looked at the all of them. "Thank you for thinking about me, really, but you shouldn't have. Now, we should correct this."

-"Okay. But don't say that the boggart wasn't a genius idea!" Lily joked, trying to enlighten the mood. "What, it could have worked amazingly on anyone else! We're not at war anymore; we couldn't have guessed that it would turn into a dead body!"

-"Stop joking Lily, Roxy is right." Rose affirmed. "I think that this Scorpius Malfoy is a complicated case. We should have thought about it, but we were blinded with revenge…"

-"Come on then," Albus announced," Let's search for him. The forbidden forest is full of dangers, we should hurry before something worse happens to him. Let us divide into groups and the first group who finds him sends a signal to the others."

-"What kind of signal?" James asked.

-"You know how to perform your corporal patronus James." Fred reminded him," me too."

-"Okay then", Lily continued, "Fred will go with Albus. James with Roxanne and Rose and I will be the third group. As for our signal, it will be anything… Hum, have an idea Rose?"

-"Let it be a green bird. I'll metamorphose a leaf into a bird and send it to you, okay?"

-"You can do that? Seriously?" Albus exclaimed, "But this is on an advanced level!"

-"It's not that hard, if we come back safely, I'll show you how to do it. When the signal reaches the others, make sure to meet back here, and don't forget to mark the trees to know your way back. Let's go now, he might be in danger."

...

Lily and Rose were walking silently into the deep part of the forest, under the fading light of their wands, their ears ready to pick any sound they could encounter and once in a while, one of them would stop to leave a marking on a tree for them to know their way back. However, Lily's brain was roaring like an engine. It seems that no one except her noticed the movement the teacher has launched before Roxanne has stopped him. Roxy said "who knows what we would have witnessed" and no one interjected or mentioned anything weird.

-"Rose?" Lily finally asked. "What do you think would have happened if Roxanne didn't stop the boggart?"

-"I don't know, really. I think that he was preparing himself to beat him as the real teacher should have done in real life to the "Little Scorpius". However, he put his bat down which makes it really weird. Maybe he was going to do that with his bare hands? What I know for sure is that what we have witnessed has to be something very serious if it was one of the things that Malfoy fears the most."

Lily kept quiet. No, she knew there was something more to all this. She was the one hiding behind the tree right in front of where the boggart was standing, so if no one else noticed it, she was sure of what she saw. Could the Little Scorpius be a victim of a child rape? And when the boggart asked him, he answered in trance, "Take it like a brave man and keep it to himself…" Which means, if that was the case, his parents would be ignorant about it. Hell, even Malfoy could be ignorant about it. Lil' remembered some psychological books she borrowed from her aunt Hermione that invoked something similar: a child's brain could "cover up" the part of memories which involves a certain amount of trauma leaving the person with no actual knowledge of what could have happened. However, traces persevere. Any kind of a particular person's trait could be a clue to these kinds of traumas. Wait, didn't he feign that he was ignorant about what he did to Roxanne? Merlin! What if he wasn't acting? What if he really forgot? Could he be suffering from severe psychological damage? She couldn't understand a thing anymore. How would she make sure that was the case? What if she was imagining it all? Should she tell the others about it? Maybe they noticed something different, maybe they were right and she was the one inventing things? "No, Lily," she thought, "keep it to yourself. You invaded his personal life sufficiently. No one in his place would like others sneaking around their personal life. Tell me, how did you become this involved in the first place? You're not Roxanne, you don't want to help people, you're not as kind, that's not your nature. Let's get over with this once and for all. Let's find him, give him his wand back, make sure he goes back to the castle and forget about all of this…"

The two girls kept walking in silence for what seems like an eternity. At no time did they receive any sign from the others.

-"Do you know the form of Fred's patronus?" Rose suddenly asked her.

-"No, I don't, but I do know James'. I think it's hereditary in our family for the first male of every generation to get a deer as their corporal patronus."

-"Ah, right, I should have guessed then. Can you perform yours?"

-"Not really, all I get is a little steam. You?"

-"I haven't tried yet." Rose replied. "Maybe one day I'll ask James or Fred to show me. " After a little silence filled with the sound of their feet stepping on dry leaves, she continued:

-"It may be that your memory isn't happy enough, don't you think?"

-"I don't know… I tried everything I could think of but nothing worked."

-"It'll come, don't worry. Keep searching for a bett… Shhh… Did you hear that?"

-"Hear what?" Lily asked doubtfully.

-"I heard a sound, it was like a quiet moan. It came from there. Let's go!"

Following the way that Rose indicated, they run towards what seemed like the source of the sound. And there they found him, laying on the ground next to a tree partially covered in blood. Alarmed, the both girls run next to him and Lily checked his pulse. It was normal.

-"No way!" Lily exclaimed. "How could he fall asleep in a place like this? Oh! Look at his hand!"

It was covered in bleeding scratches and seemed misshapen.

-"He needs to go to the infirmary right away. Rose, send your bird to the others but first tell me, it can't speak right ?" Rose nodded which made Lily sigh:

-"We can't tell them to help us then. We'll have to carry him on our own to our meeting place. But I have something to do first then we'll go." Lily took out her wand and erased Scorpius' memory involving the letter and the programmed meeting, the accident and his run out. "I'm sick of having to delete other's memory but in this case, it's better this way." She cast him a sleeping charm to make sure he doesn't wake up during the transfer. Rose took his hands and Lily his legs and they started making their way back to the grassland at the entrance of the forest.

Suddenly, Rose started laughing:

-"Imagine that, in this instant, Draco Malfoy comes and sees his son in this state, or his mother! No, imagine if his grandparents come, it'll be hilarious!"

Lily couldn't help herself too, and continued on that track:

-"We'll be sent to Azkaban, I swear! Then our parents would find out, and the next Wizarding Great War would start! Oh Merlin, wait, let's put him here a bit, I need to catch my breath, and don't make me laugh again!"

-"Me too, but let's hurry afterwards. I'm tired."

After a little break, they continued their path and Lily stated:

-"We need a good lie for this. Not all of us, I'm the one with this whole vengeance idea, so I'll take the blame."

-"No, you're not, all of us are to blame, we'll face this together."

-"Don't take me wrong, I'm not blaming myself for this, and Roxanne can say whatever she wants about it but I don't regret thinking about revenge. I'm saying that it'll be strange if all six of us came back with one Slytherin and it'll become a huge deal. However, if I only take the blame, it'll end with a mere detention for me, and I'm okay with that. But, I'll owe you one!"

-"Geez, why am I being persuaded by your thinking a lot today? Okay, goes with me, and yes, I'll owe you something."

-"We have a deal then?"

-"Deal!"

They carried the sleeping Scorpius to their meeting place where they found their mates, and Rose told them about Lily's plan to which they finally agreed, reticent. They made their way back to the castle, carrying him. When they reached the castle, James agreed to carry Malfoy to the nursery, when they would reach it, he'd put him on a bed and wear his invisibility cloak. Then Lily would go call the healer and tell her the story to which they all agreed. The others would go back to the dorms meanwhile.

...

-"Don't talk too much Lil's, my head is burning from Roxanne's brave knightly speech."

The two siblings were walking to the nursery, when they saw Minerva's name on the marauder's map, walking straight into their direction. They hid quickly in a nearby secret passage, and waited for her to pass.

-"I wasn't going to talk," Lily whispered back. "I'm tired, let's get over with this."

-"Me too. Let's go now, the path is free. Stay close to me and don't make any sound."

After a little while walking in the dark, James exclaimed, joking:

-"Remind me to never anger you, little sis', he's snoring like a big babe due to your charm!"

-"Oh, sod off, James. Yeah! A babe! Do you prefer him sleeping or having to deal with him if he was awake? Oh right, tell the others that I erased his memory so don't talk about the incident in front of him, okay?"

-"You erased his memory too? Dear Dumbledore, you really need to remind me not to anger you!"

-"I told you to sod off already!"

Laughing, they finally reached their destination and went according to the plan. After putting him on the bed, Lily called the healer and told her that she felt hungry, so she went to the kitchens and found him in that state into a corridor. She was going to leave when the healer called her back.

-"Wait there! This is serious! You found a student knocked off in a corridor, bleeding! We need to call the Headmistress instantly!"

-"What, no? This isn't a big deal! He should have been going to get some food too and was pranked with a kind of joke!"

-"A joke that got him injured and bleeding? I think that now, you're the one joking! I told you to wait here, I'm going to get the Headmistress."

She ignored Lily who was on the brink of a sentence and left.

-"Well well, didn't this whole thing get a bit more serious out of the sudden?"

-"I told you to sod off, James! And you better go back to the dorms before anyone catches you."

-"That, I will do. I feel bad about leaving you here but it's too late to change anything, so make sure to go according to the plan, okay?"

-"Of course I will, now, go!"

-"All right, all right!"

James left under his cloak of invisibility, and there she was, in an empty nursery, tired, waiting, watching Scorpius sleeping. She was thinking that his face looked paler than usual and that he had dark circles under his eyes, nevertheless, it was true that he looked like an inhuman angel when he was asleep until she heard the sound of the door opening, the healer hurrying to cure Malfoy's hand and Mineva Mcgonagall exclaiming:

-"Miss Potter! You better explain to me what were you doing out of bed in the middle of the night and how did you find Mr. Malfoy in this state before I start getting angry!"

...

Tadaa! I'm back folks! I apologize for this long silence but things have been a bit tough for me later, what's important is that I'm here now! I'll try to publish as soon as I can. Good reading, and don't forget to tell me what you think! 3 3


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